Devil's Playground
by bitbyboth
Summary: It was their only day off, so what better to do than see who could best the other in a spar? Dante or Nero? Unfortunately something goes horribly wrong than sends the duo straight down to hell! Sequel to Tick Tock. DantexNero
1. Chapter 1 Faceoff

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 1

WOOT! I am back once again! This little story started out just being an extra chapter of Tick Tock to answer the question brought up near the end about who could win in a duel. As usual this sparked the 'what would happen?' part of my brain and Devil's Playground was born. THIS IS A SEQUEL TO TICK TOCK and as such there will be mentions of the events that happened in that story!

I'd like to give a special thanks to one of my reviewers for helping to give me this idea. I'll thank you personally later but for now I don't want to give away the main plot ;3 You probably know who you are!

I do not even own a copy of the game Devil May Cry and I certainly don't own Trish, Lady, Dante or Nero. So here goes! This is chapter 1 of Devil's Playground, enjoy!

* * *

Nero's head lightly bopped to the beat as classic rock thrummed though Dante's old car. The older male's fingers tapped with the music against the wheel as he drove. The younger half-devil lightly smiled, things had been going pretty well since he'd returned to Devil May Cry. Not much really had changed since the older devil was nineteen, the furniture was the same, the old jukebox, and certainly the way Dante had felt about him then hadn't changed either.

Nero's eyes found their way back to the window, strips of greenery and fields flying past his vision. Usually the two didn't leave the city, but the girls had agreed to watch the shop for the day in order for the two males to settle an argument they'd started the night the young hunter had returned. Could one of them best the other in a fight? And if they could, which one would come out on top?

The young slayer couldn't help a tiny smile at the crude thoughts that entered his mind with the simple phrase.

"Almost there kid, you sure you don't want to just forfeit now?" Dante smirked. Of course the two devils had to make a wager on the outcome of the battle.

"What? And have to have sex with you whenever you feel like it for the next week? No dice old man. You're going to have to win fair and square-you know, if you can. If you don't think you can though…" he trailed off grinning, watching for the older male's reaction.

Dante scoffed with a smirk. "You're a little punk."

"I'm just offering the same _kind_ invitation you offered me." Nero's hand slid onto his lover's thigh. "Besides, I thought you liked me because I'm a punk." he gently squeezed.

"You keep that up and you forfeit." Dante said, though his eyes were dancing with the prospect.

"Wow." the younger male sighed dramatically a tiny smile on his lips as he pulled his hand away. He looked out the window again as the older slayer pulled over into an empty clearing near some woods.

"We're here anyway. So let's get going. I'm going to teach your punk ass a lesson you won't soon forget." he grinned suggestively with a wink.

"Whatever old man, you're going to be regretting those words later." he stated, getting out of the car.

"We'll see kid, we'll see." Dante walked around to the back of the car popping the trunk where their weapons lay. The younger slayer grabbed Red Queen as well as his revolver and paused upon seeing Lucifer laying alongside Rebellion, Ebony and Ivory.

"Oh no," he pointed Blue Rose at the older male's head. "You are not using Lucifer."

"Why not? Worried?"

"Just doesn't seem on the level." he replied blandly with a tilt of his head.

"I offered to let you use any of my devil arms."

"Which I don't know how to use and you know that."

"I would always teach you kid." he said innocently.

"Yeah, for what price?" he asked as if it was obvious.

"Just a few favors."

"Forget it old man, pick one blade and one long distance and meet me on the field." Nero twirled his gun into it's holster and headed in the other direction.

Dante pouted, but picked up Rebellion as well as Ebony and Ivory and headed after him.

* * *

Both half-devils picked a spot on either side of their starting field, the battle would inevitably spread out so they had to make a long trek from the car.

"Scared yet?" Nero grinned revving his blade.

"Of you babe?" he asked innocently, before smirking. "Not a chance."

The older devil grabbed Rebellion placing the tip on the ground and mimicked the revving motion.

Nero chuckled. "Asshole." he drove forward, dragging Red Queen behind him. Dante met him in the middle, their blades clashing with a loud metallic 'bang.' The older slayer pulled out Ebony and took a shot at the kid's torso. Nero's devil bringer caught his wrist and gave a firm twist, throwing off his trajectory. Dante kicked off the ground flipping around with his wrist and landing on one knee and taking another shot.

The younger slayer hissed as the bullet hit him and let go of Dante's wrist, twisting to leave a slice on his opponent's leg. The older hunter tried to back flip out of the way, but didn't get his footing quick enough.

"Nice moves kid."

"Not so bad yourself." the younger male grunted, pulling out the bullet with his claws, letting it drop to the ground.

Dante smirked and flipped Rebellion for a better grip, flying forward. Nero knew the move though and twisted out of the way, ducking down and throwing out his leg. His heel connected with the back of Dante's knee making him stumble. The older male's sword swiped towards him, but the blade nicked off his devil arm doing no damage.

Nero's claws grabbed the blade and yanked his older counterpart towards him. Dante released his sword and the younger man gasped as he toppled backwards. Nero threw his weight back with him so that he'd roll completely over and be on his feet again.

"Good recovery." Dante smirked drawing his twin pistols and aiming at the kid.

"You-" the younger hunter didn't have time to finish his insult as he had to throw his body out of the way of several bullets coming in his direction. The kid dodged behind a tree and quickly planted Dante's sword into the ground before drawing his revolver. He managed to pop out on the other side of the tree and take a shot at the older male. His hit his mark but Dante managed to get two more bullets into his shoulder as well.

"Come on out kid!"

"Come here and get your sword, old man, it's just going to be a game of cat and mouse until you do!" he called in response.

"Okay." Dante made his way forward, his guns still at the ready.

"I won't shoot until you get it unless you shoot first, I don't need to be underhanded to win." Nero stated. Dante grabbed his blade and the two launched straight back into battle. Blades clashed and firearms cracked as they competed fiercely to get the other in a compromising position.

Finally Nero drew Blue Rose and slammed the barrel against Dante's chest as he held Rebellion away with his devil arm. The older devil however pressed Ebony to Nero's temple at the same time. The two panted for a few moments, before the younger hunter let out a groan.

"Fucking hell, we tied!" he growled.

"No we didn't. I won."

"What! ? What do you mean you won! ? We're both in lethal positions!" he demanded.

"But a bullet though the heart won't kill me, a bullet in the head is probably going to stop you."

"We could test the theory." the younger all but snarled, pressing Blue Rose harder into his chest, reminding him that there were two barrels and double the damage.

Dante nervously chuckled. "Good point, I'd rather not."

"So it's a draw?" he asked hesitantly releasing Rebellion in favor of holding out his right hand in truce. Dante sheathed the blade and shook his hand.

"Draw." he agreed. "Now I'm pretty sure we need to get patched up so what's say I help you and you help me?"

"Yeah." Nero nodded holstering his revolver as Dante did the same with Ebony.

The two made the trek back to the car and assessed each other's injuries. Nero had a few bullets in him while Dante only had some minor cuts that hadn't healed yet. The older male decided to take care of his lover first.

Nero took off his shirt, allowing Dante to pull out the bullets with care and bandage him up with supplies from the first aid kit they'd brought along. The younger slayer made easy work of the older devil's injuries, wrapping up a few cuts on his arms and legs. He might have been hurt further by burns but Nero never used his Exceed system(1) when they had their small competitions, worried that he'd seriously hurt Dante should he use it. It was probably bad enough that they used real bullets on each other. The two couldn't seem to come up with a better way to duel than the real thing, and besides it reminded them of their first encounter in Fortuna, which always got their blood pumping.

"So, how are we going to settle this bet since it was a tie?" Nero wondered, sitting down in the backseat of the older male's car, the side door was open, and he left his feet on the ground. His chest was still bare other than the white bandages criss-crossing his chest and over one shoulder.

"I guess we'll just have to solve our little problem some other way." Dante smirked. He leaned forward and kissed the younger male passionately. Nero laid back at the older male's insistence, his arms automatically going around his lover's neck, human fingers tangling themselves in silky platinum strands.

The younger pulled away after a moment. "If you're talking about settling this with foreplay then you're on." he whispered lustily.

"I'm going to have you begging me to take you."

"We'll see about that." Nero dragged him down into another mind blowing kiss.

* * *

(1) The Exceed system is the system on Red Queen that allows the blade to explode and catch on fire.

Okay, so I'm not sure if I'm going to have a regular schedule with this story like I did with Tick Tock, mostly because my work hours are erratic (anyone who's worked at McDonalds probably knows what I'm talking about) So I'll update when I can :3 Hope you guys will bear with me. Leave me a review-next chapter pushes this into M territory for real ;) Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth July 17, 2010


	2. Chapter 2 Playing Dirty

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 2

TheRealAkuRoku: Glad you're liking it so far ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

furesesse1: It wasn't actually intended to be the beginning of a sequel, just as a one shot XD but that's the way it worked out and I'm happy with it. Thanks for the review! :3 *gives cookies*

Red Queen of Spades: I have been resurrected from the dead! XD Glad you like so far! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Yes a sequel! 8D Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: This whole story is going to be packed to the brim with action, well…not this chapter so much, it's a different kind of action, but I don't think you'll mind ;) XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Britt601: Yeah, the work in the summer usually stabs my muse and drags her into a cave somewhere. I usually don't feel like writing, but this seems to be coming out okay :3 Dante and Nero are sexy beasts just attacking each other like that XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I love fan girl squeeing XD Glad you liked the fight :3 What you said about Dante teaching Nero to use Lucifer seriously made me laugh my ass off XD I might just do something like that, I'm not sure though XDD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

RedQueensRebellion: I think most people were excited that this takes off from Tick Tock, hopefully this should come out pretty well :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Wow! I think that's the most reviews I've ever gotten for the first chapter of a story before! Thanks everybody again!

Remember I do not own Dante or Nero-and I'm only taking creative license with the idea XD. Enjoy chapter 2!

* * *

Nero quickly found he was at a serious disadvantage due to the fact he was already shirtless, his skin open to any caress Dante chose to bestow upon it. This was in contrast to the older hunter who was only missing his crimson jacket.

Dante's gloved hand slipped inside the younger male's unfastened pants, gripping the half-hardened flesh within and stroking slowly. Nero choked off a moan, arching his hips.

"What was that kid?" he wondered, leaning his weight back so he could grab Nero's right arm, turning it so the glowing side was facing him. The younger hunter gasped, trying to pull his hand away once he realized what the older man was planning, but Dante held his wrist firmly, his tongue flicked out, dragging over the sensitive, glowing flesh. The younger devil threw his head back, moaning in pleasure and bucking up into the hand that was still holding onto him.

"Still didn't quite catch that." the older hunter breathed, repeating the actions.

"Damn it-Dante!" he hissed, trying to gather the coordination to toe off his boots, he had to pick his battles and at this rate this was not one he was going to win.

The older male chuckled, taking his hand off Nero's organ to trail his fingers in the crevice of his arm.

"I hate you-so much right now." the younger man hissed, wanting to yank his arm away and fight back, but unable to find the will to do so as his lover's touch made delicious shivers course down his spine. Instead he just used his human hand to reach up and unbuckle the belts across Dante's chest and unzip his shirt, allowing him to run said hand across the warm, toned flesh.

"I doubt that too much. So tell me what you want." he said lustily.

"You want me to admit defeat, but I wo-oh-n't!" his defiant statement turned into a groan as the older man's slippery tongue found it's way onto the glowing skin on the top of Nero's hand. He dragged slow circles, before pulling back.

"Sorry, say again?" he teased.

"Y-you play dirty." he breathed.

"So?"

Nero got his arm free and buried his fingers in the older male's silver locks, pulling him down to kiss him bruisingly rough, nips exchanged, tongues entwining. The younger man broke off first.

"How about you just admit how much you want me, and I'll let you." he said with a smirk.

Dante chewed this thought for a moment. Would he be losing by saying he wanted the kid? After a moment he decided this was not the case. "I want to fuck you into next Tuesday, Nero, I love you." he whispered.

"Well, I don't know about the 'into next Tuesday' part, I've had enough time travel to last forever, but the rest sounds alright." Nero chuckled, giving his lover another light peck on the lips. "Though I think you're going to have to help me get the rest of my clothes off if you want to go any further."

"How observant you are. Duly noted." he grinned, pushing back to curl his fingers around the waistband of the younger man's jeans and start pulling them off.

"You're an asshole." Nero grumbled. He leaned up on one elbow, using his free hand to pry off the older devil's belt and flick open the button and zipper. After the last few months the two had been together they were very apt at freeing the other from their respective garments.

The younger man's pants and underwear were swiftly discarded into the front seat. Nero managed to get Dante's shirt off, but was having a bit more trouble with the pants, seeing as his hand was inside said garment, gently stroking and squeezing the hardened flesh.

Dante pushed his pants down enough to free his member before the younger male released him. Nero laid back on both his elbows and braced his feet against the metal below the seat, allowing him to arch his hips slightly and give his partner better access.

The older man leaned over him, one arm sliding under his back, pulling him against his chest and helping to support his weight as he feathered kisses and licks over Nero's exposed throat.

"I'm ready Dante, get on with it before I change my mind." he warned.

The older devil chuckled, and guided himself to his lover's entrance before pushing all the way in. The younger hunter growled in pain, lifting his devil bringer and digging his claws into Dante's shoulder; drops of crimson formed under his nails.

"Just remember to claw me, and not the upholstery, kid." the older man commented returning to his kisses on Nero's jaw and not moving as he waited for the younger to get used to him. Nero just dug his claws in slightly deeper for a moment, a silent warning that if he had any more smart ass comments he should keep them to himself.

After a few moments, the younger half-devil loosened his grip and rolled his hips.

"Move." he growled, roughly nipping Dante's ear. The older male chuckled and started at a slow pace. Nero hissed with every movement, he was accustomed to the pain by this point and really didn't mind it. Sometimes he even liked the feeling but he blamed that on his demon side.

Dante's gloved hand wrapped around his partner's member and started pumping it in time with his own thrusts. The younger male gasped, his head falling back, the pain a dull twang in the back of his mind as he was pleasured. The sting was forgotten entirely when Dante hit the sweet spot inside him and he moaned loudly.

The older male smirked upon finding what he was looking for and quickened his pace, plunging in and out of his lover faster and harder, hitting the same place over and over. Nero arched and bucked to the touch, his claws formed punctures in the older devil's shoulder, crimson rivers running down his chest and both their arms. Nero shivered as a trickle of blood made it's way down the gap in his demonic armor.

"Da-AH-Dante!" he gasped.

The older man's breathing was ragged as well as he softly groaned his partner's name. Nero found himself kissing and biting Dante's neck, leaving red marks and drawing out a bit of blood with his teeth. Dante was his and he was determined to leave a mark that proved it, even though they all seemed to disappear only a few moments after they were created.

The younger male stopped his attempts as his breathing started getting away from him, the fire in his belly coiling tighter with each movement his lover made. He closed his eyes tightly.

"Dante-ah, fuck! Just-ah-little more." he moaned.

"Me too Nero." he growled in response. One more powerful thrust and they both cried out as they hit their peaks. Nero's muscles convulsed and milked Dante for everything he had as he came between their bodies.

The two collapsed together in a heap, sweaty and panting.

"I love you kid."

"I love you too, you ass." Nero chuckled, softening his words by nuzzling the older male's neck.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the two were cleaned up and once again dressed. Nero glanced at the clock in the car.

"It's only four, the girls aren't expecting us back until later, so, you ready for a rematch? Or at least a swordfight?" the younger inquired.

"Well, you got your second wind back quick."

"I'm younger and more spry than you remember?" he teased with a grin.

"That's not what you said half an hour ago." the older devil taunted in return.

"Yeah, yeah. You wanna go or what?" he asked, spinning Red Queen. "After all, we have yet to figure out which one of us is a better fighter."

"Yes we did, I won remember?" he grinned cheekily.

"I'm going to punch you in the face, we tied before. You even agreed!"

Dante tapped his chin. "Yeah, I suppose I did…" he mumbled. "All right, let's do some swordplay then we can grab some pizza and head home."

"How about winner decides where we eat?" Nero smirked.

"Okay, so, we'll fight and then we'll grab some pizza and head home." he stated, smug grin still firmly in place.

"You're a cocky bastard. Guess I'm gonna have to take you down a couple notches."

"I'd like to see you try. Kid."

* * *

Oh, those boys, fighting, sex and more fighting is obviously the way of the half-demon hunter XD Next chapter is where the plot really starts coming into effect so leave me some reviews so I can write faster! 8D Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth July 21, 2010


	3. Chapter 3 Hell in a Handbasket

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 3

CommanderRachet57: I wasn't planning on a sequel and if you got in on chapter 2 you didn't miss too much ;3 Here's some more! *gives cookies*

Noboru: *hands tissues* Thanks for reviewing! XD *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yes, action and sex is basically gonna be the premise of this story XD Nero can always find a way to turn a situation to his favor :3 when it comes to Dante anyway. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Littleliesdonthurt: Glad you like it so far! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: I thought the scene was pretty sexy XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Angelwingkitsune: I try really hard to get the personalities right-even if what they would do goes against what I would prefer happen XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Well, if you think about it Nero really did manipulate Dante into losing in the car, he made Dante give in first by saying that he needed Nero. :3 However our red clad friend was a little too out of it to care XD I think they would be very competitive together fighting and sexxing each other up all the time XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Yeah, it's close to what they say in the game. Really Nero says: "Tough guy huh? Guess I'll have to take you down a couple notches." To which Dante replies: "Whatever you say kid." instead of "I'd like to see you try." but yeah, it was suppose to strike a note of familiarity XD if you pay attention I have them say as many things from the game as I can XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: I'm rather glad I'm back too XD and you didn't get in too late, it was only chapter 2, Sometimes I think people have crazier lives in the summer than they do during the (would-be) school year. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

RavenGhost: XD I think you do know what's going to happen, seeing as I told you most of it XD Thanks for keeping it a secret Dentri *hands strawberries* I think for the most part Tick Tock hasn't been mentioned too much, and so far there's only a few references to things that happened in it, so you're good up until chapter 6 at least XD Thanks for reviewing *gives cookies*

Queen-of-Sussness: I do ask for reviews, they help keep me inspired to write more :3 I aim to hold people in suspense until the last page so if you're interested from start to finish I'm doing my job XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

_**IMPORTANT! **_I wanted to let you guys know that there's a really bad virus going around on the internet, if you get an e-mail from SIMON ASHTON ( SIMON25 at HOTMAIL CO. UK ) (No spaces), or if you get a message titled: 'Mail Server Report' DO NOT OPEN IT. It's a hacker who will get into your e-mail, your name and password and it will also delete everything on your PC! I found out about it yesterday and have told all my friends about it and I want you guys to be careful too!

Sorry for all the author's notes! ^_^; I do not own DMC, Dante, Nero Trish or Lady. Enjoy chapter 3!

* * *

"_I'd like to see you try. Kid."_ Dante baited his younger counterpart.

Nero smirked, drawing his blade causing the older male to do the same with his own double edged sword. Nero bent his knees and leaned his weight back before launching himself forward. The two met midair, steel clashing together as loud as a gunshot. Both landed unscathed.

The younger devil whirled around and ran for his partner's back. Dante waited patiently until the kid got close enough before dancing out of the way, moving to smack his shoulder blades with the flat side of Rebellion, but Nero had fallen for that trick enough times to learn and quickly rolled onto the ground, landing in a crouch. He swung Red Queen out trying to nick the older male's shins but Dante back flipped out of the way, wearing his 'come-get-me' grin. At the same time two wings emerged from his back holding red spears crackling with what looked like crimson lightning-Lucifer.

"You damn cheater!" the younger slayer laughed.

"You didn't tell me I couldn't use it this time-it _is _a sword."

"Technically, as defined by you, it's a sword."

"And that's all that matters!"

The two kept messing around until Nero managed to grab his opponent's leg. He quickly pivoted on his heel, knocking Dante off balance and tossed him a few feet so he landed on his back, some of his breath knocked out of him.

The younger slayer chuckled as he ran over and placed the tip of Red Queen beside his lover's throat, his boot on his right wrist.

"What's a matter? You look surprised." he commented.

"Nah. You got lucky kid."

Nero grunted and rolled his eyes.

"But I'll be a good sport, you can pick where we eat." he stated and the younger hunter frowned as he felt something curl around his ankle.

"Nice try Dante, you gonna pull me off my feet from that position?"

The older devil looked confused. "Wha-?"

Nero gasped as he was indeed pulled off his feet-and away from Dante. His sword fell from his fingers and he let out a curse, digging his claws into the soft earth, leaving a trail of grooves. He was quickly being pulled to the bank of trees that were nearby and an idea struck him. The half-devil twisted his body to sink his devil bringer into the trunk of a thick oak tree. He grabbed onto the bark with his human hand as well and managed a look over his shoulder. A thick, thorny vine was wrapped several times around his ankle dead-set on pulling him further into the darkness of the forest.

He gasped as the vine gave a vicious tug making his fingers slide over the wood. He needed to get free-NOW. He grabbed Blue Rose from her holster and tried to make the awkward shot. He fired twice. A few of the bullets grazed the vine but were unable to sever it. The tether on his leg gave another harsh pull and Nero yelped as he was yanked free. He held tightly to his firearm and tried to get a grip on another tree, but now the thing pulling him seemed to be purposely avoiding any kind of obstacle he could get his fingers into. He couldn't escape, and he had no idea where this thing was taking him. Where was his damn partner? He hated admitting it but faced with unknown death and asking for help…

"DANTE!" he screamed.

* * *

Unfortunately the Son of Sparda was having problems of his own as soon as Nero had been dragged away plants had sprung up blocking his path and slowing his pursuit. He grumbled curses as he sliced through the vines with Rebellion, Red Queen in his left hand, before he realized this was just the job for the kid's sword. He revved the engine, taking another stroke through the plants. He smirked in satisfaction as they caught fire and helped clear his way.

He let the drag marks and claw indentations be his guide as he ran before he heard something that made his heart stop.

"DANTE!"

Nero never called for help unless he absolutely couldn't handle it, and judging by the faintness of the sound the kid wasn't very close-he had to keep him talking.

"NERO!" he called out, picking up his pace.

* * *

Nero heard Dante call back to him-he was too far away! He'd never get to him in time, unless the younger slayer found a way to stall his would-be captor. The kid grunted as he snagged a root sticking slightly out of the ground.

"DANTE!"

"My, my. You are quite resilient." said a calm, male voice.

Nero whipped around to catch a glimpse of the demon. He was human in shape and had brownish skin, bright red eyes-as most demons had-and green hair. He was wearing no shirt, but some ill-fitting ripped blue jeans, like he'd found them or-the more likely case-had killed someone that wasn't his size for them.

The kid didn't bother bantering back, just fired Blue Rose at him, hoping that by killing this thing he'd manage to free himself. Unfortunately the demon moved faster than he thought and dodged the projectiles.

The demon chuckled. "You're not even going to ask what I want? Who I am?"

"I already know that! You demons aren't the most creative types. You want me to get Dante-and I don't give a rat's ass who you are!" he snapped.

The man frowned thoughtfully, obviously displeased with the lack of cowering and simpering he was used to, but intrigued by it as well. He walked closer and Nero glared pulling the trigger on his revolver again only to hear an empty click.

"Mother fucker." he hissed. He supposed that's what he got for having a chamber that only held six bullets and a gun that fired two rounds per shot.

"I must admit after seeing your prowess against the Son of Sparda I thought you'd pose more of a challenge."

"Shut the fuck up! I'm still going to kick your ass!" He growled when the vine still on his ankle wound itself up high enough that the leather of his boot didn't protect him from the large thorns.

Nero gasped as the demon placed his foot over his throat and pressed down, cutting off his oxygen.

"I am Vinkus. You may try to defeat me later, perhaps after I have had some fun with you-and of course after I have killed the Son of Sparda. To avenge your lover is a perfectly suitable way to die." he grinned.

The half-demon's eyes narrowed and his hand clenched more tightly around the root that was keeping him from flying off to wherever the vine was taking him to. Wherever it was, at least it would probably be away from this psycho.

"I know what you're thinking, if you release that root you're holding onto to attack me, you'll be pulled straight into a hellgate…straight down to hell." he smirked.

Nero's lungs burned as he tried pushing Vinkus off him with his human arm but to no avail.

"Not that it will really matter. That's where you're going anyway." The demon held out his hand over Nero's face and small yellow particles fell from it. Vinkus removed his foot and Nero gulped in air, unavoidably breathing in the specks.

He sneezed. "You trying to kill me with allergies? Sorry pal, but I don't really have them."

"Cute…but those are spores that cause sleep in humans, they should work just fine on your weaker half."

Nero glared in hatred, feeling drowsiness starting to creep over him, his grip on the root loosening. He shoved Blue Rose in her holster, there was no way he was going to leave her here with Red Queen when he was going to have to fight his way out of hell.

"You won't be able to kill Dante. You couldn't even take me down without your…Goddamn...tricks." he managed before falling limp, the vine around his leg zipping away with him like a bungee cord pulled too tightly.

"We'll see about that, half-breed."

* * *

Okay, so Nero's off to hell in a hand basket pretty much. As for what will happen to him when he gets there you'll have to wait for the next chapter :3 I am so evil ;P Anyway, leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth July 25, 2010


	4. Chapter 4 Unleashing Hell

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 4

SirenaLoreley: Vinkus is after Dante so capturing Nero is his way of challenging him, and attaining the upper hand at the same time. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Run Dante RUN! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: I think the last chapter is my fave one so far :3 It's got a lot of great elements to it. Hope I don't make you too fat with cookies XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Glad you like! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Angelwingkitsune: I love the cliffhangers :3 Dante really should be able to run faster, but he figured Nero was handling himself and he was slowed down quite a bit by those plants at first. Once Nero screamed though he got the lead out XD Not quite fast enough though. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: It was sort of the point to think it was Dante, but he's not such a bad loser ;) at least not where Nero is concerned XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

RavenGhost: Good-no telling! XD Don't hurt me I'm updating as fast as I can! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Nero is in a pretty sticky predicament isn't he? XD Only Dante is allowed by the kid to touch him, everyone else pretty much would get broken fingers XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: The kid is always getting the short end of the stick XD I finally let him win and then he gets beaten up and kidnapped. I'm a terrible person XD I hope Vinkus won't make you allergic to the story! *hands tissues* Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Queen-of-Sussness: Sorry, me and cliffhangers have a long standing affair, so there will likely be more to come, keeps people coming back you know ;) There will be quite a lot of action in hell. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I'd now like to give credit where credit is due, this idea was mostly sparked by one of my reviewers AvalonParadise in one of her reviews :3 She wondered what would happen if Nero got kidnapped and taken to hell what would happen. I give her credit for helping to get the train rolling on this story so thank you AvalonParadise!

The flesh of the story is all me though ;3

I hope all of you enjoy this chapter, I had to fuck around with my corrupted flash drive for like fifteen minutes before I could get this chapter to load for editing! Anyway-enjoy!

* * *

Dante sprinted into a clearing in the very middle of the woods where a crude circle was formed with rocks that were all perfect cubes with demonic writing all over them. The kid's trail had gotten harder to follow a few yards before as it appeared he'd stopped struggling, his claw impressions no longer visible.

"Shit," he hissed. "How did I miss a hellgate?" he frowned, the demon must have been strong enough to make a tear though the gate long enough to escape-and to get back. He just had to hope he didn't get Nero down there.

He looked around some more and spotted a message carved into an old dying tree.

'_Your worst fears are now confirmed. Your partner is in hell. If you want to rescue him you'll have to activate the gate yourself and release any creatures that lay just within. Or do not and your partner dies. Your choice Son of Sparda.'_

Dante ground his teeth for a moment before releasing a roar of fury, slamming his fist into the tree trunk. He stood perfectly still for a moment, then laid down Red Queen, quickly forming a plan in his mind.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the office, tapping his foot impatiently as the phone rang several times.

"Devil May Cry." Trish answered.

"Trish! Listen close, okay? The kid's life is in danger. I need you and Lady to come out to East Sugar Ridge Drive, all the way down to that spot where the trees are and you'll find my car. Come into the middle of the woods. There will be demons around and there will be a hellgate. It's going to be open-DO NOT close it. Understand?"

"What is it you want me to do then?"

"You guys have to kill the demons that come out. I'm going inside so I have to open it but I can't let those demons run around…Nero is gonna die if I don't go in."

"I got it. Lady and I are on the way."

"Thanks." he hung up, looking at the kid's blade. He wanted to take it with him, but he just didn't have room. He was already hauling Rebellion, Lucifer, Ebony and Ivory. Who knew what was lying in wait on the other side of the gate? He needed the weapons he'd mastered already.

Dante sighed and shook his head picking up Red Queen and stabbing it deeply into the ground. The girls would look out for it. Sure of that fact he made his way to the center of the circle. His gut clenched in knots. _'You could be about to unleash thousands of years of evil onto Earth in order to save one person…you sure you know what you're doing 'Son of Sparda?'' _His inner voice even had a mocking lilt to it, just great. He wasn't sure if what he was doing was entirely right, but he had everything he needed to open the gate. Rebellion, Sparda's blood and knowledge.

"Okay, let's see if I remember how to do this." he planted Rebellion into the ground and removed his left glove with his teeth. Then, he started the incantation, it was in Latin, but the half-devil was fluent in the dead language. While he spoke he pressed his palm against his sword's razor edge, it wasn't the first time it had cut him and it certainly wouldn't be the last. He pressed hard against the blade drawing out more blood; he finished his incantation just before the crimson liquid hit the ground.

There seemed to be a ripple effect opening the portal. First the spot where his blood had touched turned red, then it spread out across the circle, bending and writhing like it was alive. Then a blinding scarlet light burst forth and Dante had the feeling of falling. He grabbed Rebellion and let himself fall.

Dante roughly landed in a room full of other creatures. Looking around he saw Scarecrows, Blood Goyles, Lusts, Wraths and other low level demons. He whistled lowly.

"Where have you guys been all my life?" he grinned. "I really could use the monetary boost, but I do pro bono work too…Now which one of you is first? I don't have all day."

The horde started moving towards him, scythes swinging, screeching and growling.

"Lively group. Let's see if I can remedy that." he chuckled, diving into the mass sword first.

* * *

Nero sighed, eyelids twitching as he slowly stirred. The first thing he noticed was that his right arm was totally numb, pulled up above his head. He cracked open his eyes, hoping that maybe Dante had accidentally left his arm chained up with Cerberus and he'd just dreamed everything else.

His hopes were quickly smashed however when he saw, not Cerberus, but a cuff with strange symbols all over it holding his demonic arm to a headboard. Though he was in a bed, it wasn't his. He noticed his devil bringer was dim looking as if his energy was just being zapped out of it. He felt pretty drained.

Slowly the half devil moved each of his fingers and made a loose fist. At least it was still attached. He heard a noise and quickly looked over, finding that demon looking at him again. He managed a glare.

"What are you looking at?" he growled.

"Someone significantly more attractive than I thought was possible for a half-breed." Vinkus answered. If Nero could have seen himself, he would have said he was a mess. There were leaves stuck in his hair, mud on his face and spotting his clothes between the grass stains as well as a ring of his own blood, just above his right boot where the thorns on the vine had punctured his skin.

Nero however had no idea what he looked like at the moment and settled for raising one eyebrow. "…If that was suppose to be some sort of compliment, I have to say that you do not have a way with words. At all." he deadpanned.

Vinkus walked over so he was standing above the half-devil and Nero's glare crystallized.

"You're really not afraid of me are you?" he murmured.

"I have no reason to be. You need me alive and well or else Dante won't come, you don't get credit for killing him and your time will have been wasted."

"Think you know it all don't you? And what if you're wrong? What if my goal has already been completed?"

"Then I wouldn't be here." he answered coolly.

"Clever boy." the demon murmured, dragging his fingertip over Nero's jaw line. The half devil turned his head and snapped his teeth into the digit, digging in and refusing to let go. Vinkus didn't try very hard to get free, watching as his blood stained the smaller male's mouth. "You like blood, don't you? And pain. It ignites some carnal part of you, some part you try desperately to ignore."

Nero let go of his finger after this statement, taking the blood in his mouth and spitting it back into the demon's face.

Vinkus growled as he wiped it away. "Your defiance, while endearing to a point, is beginning to try my patience."

"Sorry, it doesn't come with an 'off' switch." he glowered, shifting to sit up and get blood flowing into his devil arm again. He lightly massaged the appendage with his human hand. He looked over, realizing the demon was still hovering over him. "Don't you have something else to do? Go practice your evil laugh or something."

"What is it you find appealing about the Son of Sparda? His appearance? I could-"

Nero held up his left hand. "No, just-stop there. You and Dante are nothing alike and changing your appearance isn't going to make me start drooling all over you." he went back to massaging his devil bringer and ignoring the demon.

"…Very well. Then I will give you time to…ponder your options." he stated before walking out.

Nero rolled his eyes. There were no options for him. It was Dante, or no one.

* * *

Okay, so that's chapter 4. Just wanted to let you guys know too, that I'm working on a crossover fic with my bestest buddy Raven Ghost (she wrote Luminosity). The crossover is BayonettaxDevil May Cry and might well be the first one that ISN'T DantexBayonetta. It's actually DantexNero and BayonettaxJeanne though it focuses mainly on action :3 We should post it maybe a few weeks when we're further into it, but I'm not sure of an exact time frame. I'll let you know when I have a better time frame.

Okay, now that my shameless plugging is done XD Thanks for reading and please leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth July 29, 2010


	5. Chapter 5 Decieved

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 5

SirenaLoreley: Dante is certainly on his way, but it may take him awhile. I liked writing the talk with Vinkus, I feel like I can get Nero into his cocky snippy self, which, with Dante doesn't come out as much-or at least doesn't come out as harsh. Glad to hear that you'll give the cross over a try! ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Dante needs all the encouragement he can get XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

RavenGhost: I think Vinkus reminds you of Mack by the way he talks in riddles and hard to understand ways XD It'll probably be awhile before Dante reaches the kid. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Yeah, the talk with Vinkus allows Nero to be more like the way that's portrayed in the game, back talking and sarcastic-and I love every minute! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: I really hate bloodgoyles, but I think they make great little demons! Dante will get to Nero just as fast as this hell will allow! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Dante speaking Latin does sound very sexy XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Angelwingkitsune: I think you're going to enjoy this chapter XD I also emailed you back from DA, not sure if you got it or not, but I'm bitbyboth on DA as well. I appreciate fanart really for any of my fics, makes me super hyper XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: They're pretty crazily in love with each other in this story XD Monogamy and Unleashing Hell, maybe that's what I should have called the story XD Thanks for the cookies and the review! *gives more cookies*

Pushka: I think Vinkus is suppose to come off as a little sexy XD and he's sweet talking Nero now, but he has the patients of a drill sergeant XD Dante speaking Latin is pretty hot, and I needed a way for him to get into hell, he does have the keys to open the gates. Glad to hear that you'll try the crossover, I think it's coming out pretty well :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Purple Shirt: Glad you finally caught up and got a new computer-though, I suppose that should be in reverse order XD I'm looking forward to how I'm going to work everything out too, honestly XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Wow! Thanks everyone for the support so far! I don't own Dante or Nero, but Vinkus is mine-creepy though he may be at times XD Enjoy chapter 5!

* * *

Dante lightly wiped the sweat off his brow as he dashed the last scarecrow in two. His icy blue hues looked over when the red, plasma-like demonic energy zapped away from the door, clearing his path.

"Well, that was a workout, but nothing I couldn't handle, right-" the word 'kid' died on his lips, he was really too used to having Nero backing him up…having him around all the time. He shook his head and rolled his shoulders as if to brush it off. The kid would be fine.

Dante paused as he was about to open the door to the next room, some writing on the wall beside it distracting him. It was the same kind of writing as on the tree.

'_You've completed level 1, but seven more await you before you reach your partner. Level 2 contains the mistresses of the sea. Follow their song and find the leader of the three, her necklace is what you'll need to get to level 3.'_

'_Seven more levels? I don't have time for this! Hold on for me kid.'_ he thought pushing the door open and entering the next room.

* * *

Nero frowned as he fiddled with the cuff on his arm, trying to find a way to remove the damn thing. He heard the door open and quickly turned his head. There was Dante, standing there with his easy grin, Rebellion and Lucifer strapped to his back.

"Dante! Took you long enough, old man. Did you find the key to this fucking thing? I don't think it's coming off without it."

"Yeah, I got the key." he stated, walking closer.

"Well hurry your ass up, come on, get me out of here." he said. "That demon could come back at any second!"

"No he can't." Dante chuckled.

"You got rid of him?"

"That was the only way in here." he stated, straddling the younger male.

Nero smiled and shook his head. "Stop messing around Dante."

"But messing around is exactly what I want to do." he murmured leaning close. Nero kissed him, lips pliant against the older man's. The cuff jingled as the younger half-devil pulled against it trying to put his arms around Dante's neck, causing him to lightly growl.

"Fine, fine, but will you get me out of this thing? You know I don't like these kinds of games."

"How do you know if you've never played?" he wondered kissing his neck, the younger male shivered.

"We did play. Two weeks ago you tied me up with Cerberus and wouldn't let me go." he chuckled. "I am in no mood for round two. This thing is sucking out my energy I think." Nero looked over at his devil bringer, it was pulsing a little brighter, but while with Dante it would usually be from arousal, this was from anxiety. He knew the man over him wasn't Dante, but Vinkus in disguise and he was trying really hard to get him to release his arm so he could escape, though he didn't think he could manage any more fake kisses, and he really wished the demon would stop touching him.

"Maybe a little." 'Dante' murmured as he examined the cuff.

"Will you just give me the key, old man?" he laughed, hoping it didn't sound strained or forced.

"Will we be able to play afterwards?" he purred.

'_Oh, we'll play all right.'_ he thought to himself, holding back a scowl, but answered aloud: "Fine, just once, then we find the way out of this hellhole. Deal?"

"Deal." he said, pulling out a large old key from his pocket and shoving into the lock mechanism. With a swift twist Nero's devil bringer was free and he carefully flexed it to help the blood flow.

"So?" 'Dante' prompted.

"Our deal?" Nero smirked. "Fat chance Vinkus." he made a fist with his devil arm and slammed the demon in the face with it, hitting his temple and rendering him unconscious almost instantly. The half-devil pushed the body off him, grabbing his arm and forcing it into the handcuff, taking the key with him. He checked that Blue Rose was still on his thigh then checked the demon's body for any spares before carefully making his way to the door.

* * *

Dante walked into the next 'level' of hell and looked around, he was standing on a spit of land surrounded by ocean and mist. A wooden boat with an oar sat near his feet and he sighed, there was no way he was using that.

"Hey babes, are we playing a game of Marco Polo or what?" he called out.

He was assaulted by three of the most beautiful voices he'd ever heard-besides Nero's of course. There was one on his left, one on his right and one straight ahead. He assumed the leader would be front and center, so he set off his devil trigger with a flash of red light and flew forward, his feet skimming the water as he flew.

After a few moments he arrived on another island where the siren laid in wait and he detriggered. The demon had long blonde hair that covered her neck as well as her naked breasts. Instead of feet she had a fish tail the shade of rubies.

"Welcome Son of Sparda, I am Tapestry," the words were woven seamlessly into her song and her key changed to something in minor. "May you enjoy your final resting place here."

Dante had to roughly shake his head to knock away the effects of her pleasant song and grab two of Lucifer's swords.

"And what are you going to do? Sing me to death? I understand luring boats to the rocks is kinda your thing, but as you can see, I'm not a sailor, and killing demons like you is kinda _my _thing."

The siren smirked continuing to sing her song. "I have many abilities." she lifted her red fin and it split down the middle, forming two human legs, her fin coloring becoming nothing but a thin skirt.

Dante smirked. "I hope you'll excuse me if I'm not very tempted. I'd really just like to get this over with."

"Very well." she crooned, lifting her arms.

The son of Sparda heard water rushing and whirled around, gasping at what he saw.

* * *

So Nero ran into a Dante look alike and Dante is playing with mermaids XD Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 2, 2010


	6. Chapter 6 Getting To Work

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 6

TheRealAkuRoku: Tapestry's name? XD I just tried to think of something quick. Nero pinpointed Vinkus after a few moments when 'Dante' didn't come over to free him right away or at least tease him a little bit for getting caught in the first place. Oh, I have a Nero plushie! XD *hands plushie Nero* I do make the cookies myself :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Nero definitely showed Vinkus, but he's far from safe ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Noboru: Nero did escape, but he's definitely not safe yet! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Yeah-you can tell Dante is actually going to be awhile with seven levels of hell in front of him, so he couldn't have gotten to Nero that quickly! Yeah, I did a little research on the Sirens-thought about using the ones from mythology, but it seemed too difficult XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Dante does miss Nero, he's used to having him around almost all the time. Sirens are only level two, so it shouldn't be too hard for our favorite devil hunter to defeat them :3 You're feeling sorry for Vinkus? He tried to sex up Nero under false pretenses! XD Ah well, he is still a demon, suppose you can't begrudge him some sexy time XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

RavenGhost: Pretty girl enemies are evil! I'm sure Dante will be fine though he knows that from Nevan XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives muffin*

Angelwingkitsune: XD Nero is really more interested in getting to Dante than fucking around with Vinkus (literally and figuratively XD) Nero knows Dante better than to be fooled by a cheap copy! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: I don't think Dante's too tempted by the mermaids-especially since he already got some earlier in the car XD Vinkus is a good actor, he picked up some of Dante's mannerisms, but he could never fool Nero into thinking he's the real deal! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Why seven? Actually it's 8, Dante is in level 2 right now and there's six more levels to complete. I picked 8 levels because it worked out best in the framework for the story ^_^; sorry really no other reason besides that. Vinkus did an okay job impersonating Dante-but not well enough to fool Nero :3 The sirens remind you of Nevan? Yeah, that makes sense XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Thanks for all your encouragement guys! I do not own Dante, Nero, Trish or Lady! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"So what did Dante say exactly?" Lady snapped impatiently, shifting Katalina Ann's weight on her shoulder as they trudged towards the hellgate Dante had told Trish about.

"He said that Nero's life is in danger, isn't that all that should matter? He said to cover the fort until he comes out."

"And what if he doesn't come out! ?"

"Hmm…" she tapped her chin with Ombra. "He didn't say, so I guess we better hope he comes out, huh?"

Lady growled. "Are you _kidding_ me?"

"Not at all Lady, why would I do that to you?"

"Why are you doing _this _to me?" she moaned.

"You know you love it." Trish laughed. "Come on, an endless horde of demons to take care of until Dante brings Nero back, so let's get to it!"

Lady nodded and pulled out two of her own pistols. "Let's go to work."

* * *

Dante stared at the wall of water that was raised up behind him by the siren. "Huh…" he mumbled before running forward towards the demon throwing a barrage of Lucifer's blades at her making what looked to be a crude cage made of the crackling swords.

Tapestry frowned. "You have missed. I will not spare your life so easily." she began lowering her arms.

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't do that. See the electricity on those things? You'll zap yourself and your sisters if you flood this place."

"Clever. Then I will just have to make the water go around me." she grinned, pulling her arms down and back. The water started rolling forward, the unearthly force holding it up now pulling it forward, intent on crushing Dante. The half-devil clapped his hands twice and the siren gasped as the blades around her exploded into fragments, the shrapnel slicing her skin and making her lose concentration. The water splashed down unceremoniously just a few feet from their target, the wave it caused rushing up to Dante's waist, but simply washed by before receding.

Tapestry growled, her song broken. She screamed as she rushed towards him. The half-devil retrieved Rebellion making a slice towards her neck. The female ducked and went to attack his chest, but Dante grabbed her wrist giving it a twist and making a diagonal slash, rending through flesh and bone, cutting Tapestry in two from shoulder to hip.

The half-devil quickly moved to shift her blonde hair out of the way of her throat, trying to find the necklace he needed to escape. He huffed a sigh upon realizing that she wasn't wearing one. She wasn't the leader. Just great, he needed to find the real leader. He stood up and brushed the sand from his wet knees before looking around.

"Marco!" he smirked, and just as he expected the singing began again. "Hmm." he closed his eyes to listen before slamming on his devil trigger once again and flying to the one on the right.

* * *

Nero sighed as he came to yet another junction in the hallway. This place was more crooked than the path of a drunken sidewinder. He hadn't realized it at first, but now he was pretty sure that he was in a maze and he had no idea where the exit was or what kind of form it would take, a door, a set of stairs or just the continuation of one of these hallways.(1)

Now he had the choice of going left or right. He heard some noise from his right and quietly walked that way, peering around the next corner before quickly pulling his head back upon seeing more than one blood goyle flying around one of their bloody fountains. He had little chance of defeating them without Blue Rose, why didn't he bring more ammunition?

He allowed himself another glance inside, but saw no other exits though the room and figured it was safe to go in another direction. That is, until one screeched as it saw him and dove towards the half-devil. Nero gasped and tore off back in the direction he'd come from. As soon as he went down the path he'd rejected before it split once again, going either straight or to two different right paths. He quickly swerved to the second path on the right hoping to throw the demons off his trail. As he ran he made a few left turns and realized that the hallway went in a perfect square. He swore silently to himself as he saw some of the goyles waiting for him at the end and a few of the others behind him that had followed him.

He had to think quick or he was going to end up seriously hurt. He'd fought these things once before-it hit him like a ton of bricks-his devil bringer. He didn't waste time, just launched out his arm and snatched the nearest bird demon smashing it into the next. As he did another dove down towards his chest, Nero quickly stepped back out of the way but the blood goyle brushed past him, snatching one of his buttons, but otherwise left him unscathed. He grabbed it before it could get away and bashed it into a wall until it became stone and crumbled.

He managed to take out of the lot of demons sustaining only a few cuts in the process, mostly from falling stone. When they were all gone he looked at all the pieces of stone on the floor and rubbed his chin…he was looking for something to leave as a marker of his passing through so he didn't get lost in this place, these seemed rather ideal. The smaller pieces at least.

Nero stripped off his jacket and put as many rocks as he could inside before wrapping it up to carry with him, so every few steps he could drop one of the pebbles, then he started walking again taking the only route he hadn't taken at the current junction and following it.

* * *

Dante arrived on the next island, this one was made of rocks jutting out of the water, so it wasn't exactly an 'island,' just an outcropping of earth. He perched himself at the top of one of the spires before looking up and detriggering. The next siren was sitting on the highest rock, she had a jade green colored skirt and long amber hair covering her neck and chest.

"Welcome Son of Sparda, I am Destiny," the words were woven into her song and her key changed to minor just like her sister had done. "May you enjoy your final resting place here."

"You know, the last girl said the same thing, and I'm not resting yet."

"I will finish you Dante Sparda, because I am the most powerful."

"That sounds promising." he smirked, but this time he wasn't hanging around to see what these sea beauties had as and encore. He unholstered Ebony and Ivory and sent a barrage of bullets towards the demon. Unfortunately water rushed up creating a barrier causing the bullets to be slowed to a non-lethal speed and falling uselessly in the ocean. Dante leapt off the rock he was on, intent on getting closer to Destiny, he pushed off the rocks that were nearby allowing him to stay airborne and even to lunge higher as he moved-and he had to move quick, because as he bounded from one rock to another water shot up after him, trying to drag him down into the salty depths.

He managed to stay ahead until a spout shot up in front of him, causing him to gasp and jump back, grabbing one of Lucifer's blades he slammed it into the nearest rock, knowing he didn't have the momentum to push off and make it to another. He looked up and noticed that he was a few feet down from the siren and grinned, grabbing another of his swords he plunged it next to the one he already had and allowed himself another handhold.

The half-devil knew however that water was going to start attacking him again and he needed to hurry. He started working his way around the spire digging in Lucifer's blades as he did so. He gasped when something slimy and powerful wrapped around his leg and started pulling him down.

Dante kept his hold, but only barely, and managed a glance down. A large brownish colored tentacle had wrapped around his ankle trying to pull him down into what looked like a pit of spikes, but was actually a mouth lined with razor sharp teeth.

"Just what I need." he muttered to himself before grabbing Rebellion and slicing down by his foot, rending the tentacle in two. The creature let out a loud roar of pain and fury, but the half-demon ignored it, planting a few more of Lucifer's spikes on the side nearest the octopus before continuing around the rock with increased speed. Once he'd managed a full circle he pushed off the spire and onto another one that he could actually stand on. A rose had appeared in his mouth and he removed it, throwing it onto the end of one of Lucifer's swords causing a chain reaction that started with the blades exploding. The top of the rock with the siren on it started to slide off and Destiny quickly jumped away. The rock slid to one side, flipping over and smashing the creature below. Dante didn't wait for the siren to get her bearings, just took out Ivory and fired one shot into the back of her head.

She let out a little gasp, her song failing as she fell to her knees and then onto her face. The half devil leapt over, turning her body over onto it's back and pushing aside her red hair, a glowing red sphere laid underneath and Dante grabbed it, snapping the chain and headed for the door.

* * *

(1) I actually have a maze that I drew so you can see where Nero is and what I'm talking about when I'm writing these scenes. You can find it on DA by looking up Devil's Playground, or bitbyboth

Okay, so that's chapter 6! :3 Lots of action this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed! Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 5, 2010


	7. Chapter 7 Suffocate

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 7

Pushka: Dante had a pretty easy time with the sirens, they were only level two. Glad you like the action, there's quite a few more :3 The maze is just the level Nero is on, Dante is actually in the floors underneath so they're not even close to each other! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Action is definitely the main focus of this story, so I'm glad you like :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Dante did show up the mermaids XD And Nero in a twisted version of Hansel and Gretel? Hmm, I don't see the similarity ^_^; sorry. Nero usually does end up in trouble quite often! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Yeah Nero definitely realized it wasn't Dante within a minute XD Glad you like the cookies and plush! X3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: Yep, Tapestry wasn't the leader amazing it was the one on the right instead of the one in the middle! Hope you got to check out that map :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

RavenGhost: Yep, Dante got the key from the mermaid. Glad you like the plot, I tend to try to keep it simple and what happens in the middle are all the twists and turns I need. Thanks for reviewing! *gives a Air-Heads*

Angelwingkitsune: Here's the next update XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Nah, if I picked it for the 7 sins then I'd have to think of clever demons for the sins, and really DMC3 took care of that and Dante could blast though those demons easily ;3 I did give that idea some thought though when making my outline. Vinkus really isn't going to go easy on either of them, if he gets free that is ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Sorry! I meant to update yesterday but I didn't feel very well and just couldn't get into it. I feel a bit better today though :3 I do not own Dante or Nero, but Vinkus and his apparent sexiness are mine XD Here's chapter 7!

* * *

Nero had managed to hit two dead ends as he navigated through the maze, but he was hoping that he was near the end. He took a right and saw what looked like an old elevator before him. It was one with a sliding metal grate that one had to push or pull into place. He quickly ran to it and got inside, looking at the buttons he found there appeared to be nine, and he was on the top floor. Dante must have been trapped down in one of the bottom eight.

He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious or even how long he'd been wandering around the maze. His lover could have been stumbling around any of those levels, he didn't want to miss him. He pressed the button for floor eight and pushed the door closed, but nothing happened. He tried again. The button lit up for a moment then went dim again. Nero frowned then looked over the panel and finally saw that there was a keyhole below the buttons. He must have needed a key to make the damn thing work!

"Oh please, _please _God, let it be the same key." he whispered to himself, taking out the key that Vinkus had used to free his arm. He put it into the hole but it was too small. Nero swore under his breath, wishing he could pick locks and briefly wondering if lock picking would even work for something like this.

He rolled his eyes. It didn't matter, he needed to find the damn key to work the elevator. He knew it wasn't with the demon that captured him, he'd made sure to check all of Vinkus's pockets and make sure he didn't have a spare key for the cuff, but where would a key be in this damn place? The thought of going back into the maze almost made him want to scream and blow the walls up with his mind-too bad that last part wasn't in his repertoire.

He settled for a guttural growl and trudged back into the winding hallways, at least he had a path to follow. (1)

* * *

Dante frowned at the inscription for the next room, it didn't make any sense. It said all that laid in the next room was air, he had to overcome this breathtaking feat in order to open the next door.

"Doesn't seem too hard. I'm not too amazed by air anymore, maybe he's hoping it's a welcome change of pace after getting soaked." he chuckled to himself, opening the door and moving inside.

The air did look strange, it seemed to shimmer and _move_ of it's own will. It even made a high pitched whistling noise and stirred up a breeze as he neared. He could feel the demonic energy ebb and flow around the room, ever changing just like the wind itself. The room was also fairly small, maybe 12x12 feet.

As Dante looked around he figured it out. There were demons in the wind and he was going to have to defeat them in order to proceed. Unfortunately he had no idea of how to fight them…how could one defeat something he couldn't see or even really feel very well?

He shook his head sharply, he couldn't worry too much about that now, he was wasting time-the kid could be in huge danger! He'd just have to believe in the guess-and-test method.

The half-devil quickly grabbed Rebellion's hilt and sliced, amazingly he felt the razor edge come into contact with something solid and jumped into a series of maneuvers. When he did however the whistling sound increased in volume and pitch, the wind starting to move unpredictably. Dante felt it spinning around him, stirring up his hair and making his eyes sting. The half-devil continued undeterred, until he tried to suck in a breath and felt nothing enter his lungs! The little beasts were swirling around his head and were obviously doing something to pull the oxygen away from him-he couldn't breathe!

'_Think fast old man! Do something!'_ he thought. He took a few steps back, slashing up with his blade, he hit some more of the creatures and attempted a breath, but more of the demons had filled in the gap he'd slashed open and they followed his movements, still leaving him with no air. _'How long can someone go without air?'_ he wondered as he continued to fight, leaping up to spin his sword through the air and cut down a few more of the little monsters. His lungs burned as he continued to move and tell himself: _'how long doesn't matter you'll overcome this'_, as soon as he killed enough he'd be able to breathe again, he reasoned.

It felt as if slow, excruciating minutes had passed before the half-devil gasped and managed to get an inkling of air into his system. It was enough to keep him fighting, slashing and spinning, until he could breathe in enough to fill his lungs. By that point the whistling had stopped, all movement all but ceased, though the red seal remained on the door telling the son of Sparda his job wasn't quite finished.

"Come on…you little bastard." Dante managed between breaths, spinning his blade, while his keen eyes scanned the room for movement. Obviously there had to be many of the little air demons in order to produce the suffocation effect, and if he was able to breathe now, whatever ones were left were no longer a threat to him.

Unfortunately he didn't see any kind of movement. He sheathed Rebellion before crouching down, scooping up a handful of the dirt on the stone floor and tossing it out to encompass the greater part of the room. He grabbed the hilt of his blade waiting a few moments and watching until he was able to see the dust that hadn't settled still traveling through the air showing the demons. Dante quickly made a sweeping motion with his sword cutting the demons down.

A second later the red mist over the door evaporated and made one final pop before leaving his path clear.

"Well, three levels down, four to go it seems." he rested Rebellion on his shoulder and made his way over to the next entryway.

* * *

Nero had managed to follow his trail back to where he'd encountered the bloodgoyles and from there-running into only one dead end had managed to find his way back to the room where he'd left Vinkus chained up. He figured the key would be as far from the elevator as possible making him come all the way back. He was still dropping stones so he'd know the places he'd already been.

The young half-devil made his way down the other hallway he'd dismissed when he'd first escaped. After walking for a short time he came to a three way juncture and took the left fork, finding two dead-ends in that direction.

He made his way back to the branching hall to take the path before him, walking cautiously as he heard noises again. He stopped dropping pebbles when he felt he was too close for comfort then slowly looked around the corner. He jerked his head back as quickly as possible and did not _dare_ look back again, praying to any God he could think of that he wouldn't have to go that way to find the key. Blocking his way was a trio of Blitz and fighting them with just his devil bringer seemed like a death sentence. He wanted to sprint back down the hall as fast as he could, but that would probably alert the blind creatures that relied primarily on sound that he was there.

Since that was the case, Nero _cautiously_ made his way back to the junction and took the remaining path, allowing it to lead him to a door. He frowned, pressing his ear to the plain wood, hoping to hear anything that might lurk within. It seemed quiet, aside from the sound of running water.. He wasn't going to take any chances though, so he started wrapping his human fingers around the knob wanting to have his bringer at the ready to take out anything should he be attacked.

However when his flesh came in contact with the metal and it sent a lick of pain that flared all the way up his arm causing him to gasp and snatch it away, holding it close to his chest as a slow burn set in. He pried his fingers open, hissing softly with pain at first, then annoyance as he realized it appeared his hand had second degree burns, blisters forming wherever skin had touched metal.

"Stupid door." he grumbled angrily. He was going to have to find something to wrap the wounds with since they likely wouldn't heal for several hours. _'Dante wouldn't have this problem.' _he thought ruefully, the older devil healed from almost all wounds within an hour or so-Nero's took a bit longer.

The half-devil clamped his hand closed, wanting to keep anything from getting into it, and grabbed the door handle with his bringer, knowing it was heat proof. When he did however the door opened easily and he didn't feel so much as a needle prick of pain. It was a door only demons could open, explaining why it burnt his human hand, but not making him any less angry about it.

Inside, the back wall was a rough looking waterfall, explaining the sound of running water. The walls had a few adjustable mirrors a beam of light shining onto one of them and the key lay in the middle surrounded by a red barrier. He knew he needed the key, but his first priority was checking out the water. He made his way to the back of the room and placed his devil arm into the flow, checking to make sure it was really water before he stuck in his human hand.

The water soothed the terrible sting but he knew it would only last until the liquid evaporated from his skin, he needed to wrap his hand up with something. The worst damage was the edge of his pointer finger down and around to the pad of his thumb, though all of his fingertips were blistered as well. He pat his pockets just to see if he had anything and blinked when he heard paper rustle he pulled out an open pack of sterile gauze that he'd used half of to treat Dante's cuts after their spar.

So he just needed something to hold the gauze on his wounds. He looked around, but didn't see anything useful, before examining his own clothes. His jacket was dirty and would be too hard to tear into strips same went for his hoodie, but he had a regular shirt on underneath, he'd have to use that.

He unzipped the over shirt and carefully shrugged it off before taking off his regular black tee. He sat on the ground, laying his materials around him and set to work placing the moistened gauze onto his skin and tying it there with strips of fabric.

* * *

(1) For this chapter I suggest pulling up that map again :3 Might help you figure out where Nero is and where he's got to go.

Hey! Look, this chapter didn't end with a cliffhanger! XD Hopefully you guys will still leave me a review! Please? Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 10, 2010


	8. Chapter 8 Stupid Games

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 8

Pushka: Yeah Dante decided that hack and slash was the way to go with the air demons XD Ended up he didn't really have a choice in the matter. Yeah, Nero got a real lesson with a seriously burnt hand. Lots more action to come! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: I get it now, Nero leaving the rocks like breadcrumbs XD Nero isn't totally lost, he's just still a bit stuck! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Nero stripped down to just his pants and boots :3 Glad you liked the fight! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Yep, Dante is suffocating and Nero is burning, they're definitely in hell XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ellocin: You liked Dante suffocating! ? XD The map didn't have too many words on it, it just showed the different paths, the top left is basically 'start' and the middle right is the elevator. Box in the middle is the key :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Silent Deathbringer: XD Thanks for adding me to your author alerts, I post so sporadically, even I don't know when I'm going to make a new story! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Yeah, the point of the key to the elevator is so that only people Vinkus wants can go down into the lower levels. If you pay attention to Nero's thoughts you'll find that he thinks of himself as 'kid' too :3 Good eye catching that one. I made Dante and Nero's internal voices sound like the other since I figure they spend so much time together that some things are bound to rub off :3 Oh! You mean Courage the Cowardly Dog XD Love that show! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Not as many reviews as I'm used to, but that's okay :3 Guess I'll just have to end my chapters in cliffhangers from now on! XD Thanks for all you guys who reviewed! Love ya! I do not own Dante or Nero! Enjoy!

* * *

Dante looked around the room he was standing in. The place was full of snow some of it even flying through the air, chilling his ears and nose, his coat tails snapped in the wicked wind. He frowned and started forward. He'd figured out, from the inscription in the last room, that this room was probably home to some huge demons with ice abilities. Apparently he was going to have to get one of the beasts to freeze over a certain place in order to open the next door. Didn't seem too hard seeing as pretty much everything else in this damn place was frozen solid.

The half-devil sighed and continued to trudge through the snow, half tempted to whistle and call out whatever demons were in here, but his better judgment suggested that he find the mechanism to the door first. That way he could lead the creatures straight to it and skip the whole 'evade injury while searching for the target' phase.

He huffed, pulling his collar up to help shield his skin from the cold, his feet made the snow crunch with every step, while four huge creatures watched him from the camouflage of the blizzard that they were creating.

* * *

Nero finished bandaging his blistered hand and admired his handiwork, small strips of black fabric wrapped around his hand in maybe twenty places. He'd purposely wrapped his fingers individually so he wouldn't have his movement inhibited. He carefully put his hoodie back on and dumped the rocks that were wrapped in his jacket, shaking out the dust before pulling his arms through that as well.

He ran his demonic hand through his hair and paused with a frown, pulling back his hand to find a twig had been tangled in his hair. He rolled his eyes and picked the remaining leaves out of his platinum locks. He looked at the waterfall for a moment and tilted his head in curiosity when he spotted a dark spot behind the water. The half-devil walked over and actually could see a shiny stone hidden there. His gaze roved around the room again. There were two mirrors that could me moved on each wall to his left and right and then one mirror on the wall near the door where he'd entered, that one with a beam of light shining on it, ready to be reflected.

"Heh, demons really do like stupid games." he rolled his eyes remembering the room where he'd had to roll that damn giant dice. "Fucking waste of time." he muttered before turning to the task at hand.

He walked over to the mirror with the light shining on it. Unfortunately the key was in the way of the stone so he couldn't simply shine the light directly on the rock, that would be too simple.

He messed with it for a few moments and learned that he could only make the mirror hit the closest mirror to his left or the furthest one on the right. He aimed to the left then made his way over to the next looking glass. He found it would turn in the direction of the rock, but when it did the beam of light struck the back of the mirror and didn't continue forward.

"Obviously not that way…" he muttered making his way back to the first looking glass. He directed the original to the mirror on the far right then walked over to that one. It wouldn't even turn towards the stone, but Nero realized this mirror could be angled to hit the looking glass next to it on the wall. As soon as he directed it the right way the beam of light bounced from the farthest right side mirror to the first one on the right and reflected it directly across the room to the closer mirror on the left, which Nero had left pointed towards the rock making the light blast directly into the onyx stone. (1)

Once the light hit the red shield around the key dispersed leaving it free for the taking.

The half-devil smirked. "Jackpot." he frowned. "Did I seriously just say that out loud?" he sighed and rolled his eyes, but it reminded him of what he was doing, he needed to stop fucking around and find Dante…wherever he was.

* * *

Dante's eyes stayed half-lidded against the blistering cold. He hadn't found the way to open the door yet, though he wouldn't be surprised if he'd been walking around in a circle for the last twenty minutes. He couldn't see a damn thing, he was freezing and desperately wished that he'd brought Ifrit. Any human would be dead in these conditions.

One thing was keeping him on alert and that was the fact that he kept hearing the snow crunch at random intervals-and it wasn't because of his own steps, so it had to be the demons, waiting for their chance to attack him. Though he was a little worried, the demons seemed to be waiting for something.

'_Maybe they're waiting for me to freeze into a popsicle. Shouldn't be too much longer.'_ he thought bitterly to himself.

The half-devil paused with a frown, the moment he did the wind that had been buffeting him the whole way let up before returning full blast. His blue eyes widened-they weren't waiting, they'd been attacking him the whole time and making it look like regular weather conditions.

"Well…you sneaky bastards." he smirked, grabbing Ebony and Ivory, hoping that if he hit the demons right that he wouldn't kill them, just piss them off enough to stop playing around…and even if he did kill them-he only needed one alive anyway.

* * *

Vinkus groaned lowly, his crimson eyes blinking open to the feeling of skull-splitting pain emanating from his left temple. That half-breed certainly packed a wallop. He looked up and saw his arm was now chained as well.

'_And he's certainly more clever than I gave him credit for. I suppose that means I should hurry before he figures out his way.' _he thought, sitting up and getting his head level with the cuff and more importantly the key hole. He stuck out his tongue, the slithery appendage taking on a more leathery greenish look, almost like the vine that had grabbed Nero's foot, and sprouted thorns in the shape of the ridges on a key. He pushed his tongue into the hole and gave a twist, the cuff easily falling free. Vinkus pulled the appendage back into his mouth as it returned soft and pink, like a human tongue.

"Oh half breed…I'm coming for you," he began in a sing song, before finishing with a darker tone. "And this time I won't be so nice."

* * *

(1) I will post the picture I drew of the puzzle so you guys can figure out what I'm talking about XD It'll be on DA under bitbyboth or Devil's Playground

Whoa, Vinkus is not a happy camper! What's he going to do to our favorite young hunter? You'll just have to keep reading and see! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 13, 2010


	9. Chapter 9 Catch Me If You Can

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 9

SirenaLoreley: I went to great lengths to make sure Dante is fighting very different demons in each room-I don't want it to get boring! That's mostly why I skipped the first room XD Nero is going to be in trouble with Vinkus chasing him! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Glad you looked at the diagram, it makes things a lot clearer! Nero would probably pwn at Portal XD Dante got soaked, air dried and frozen, he's going through a bunch of different climates! XD Glad you like Vinkus's tongue…I think it's kinda creepy but okay XD Thanks for reviewing! *Gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Here's the next update, you'll get to see what happens with Vinkus! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Axel! 8D One Kingdom Hearts character I actually know and 3 ^_^ Aw…you want him back? Okay…*hands over Axel plush and hugs my Nero plushie* Thanks for reviewing! XD *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Yeah, the part with the tongue is kinda creepy XD And Dante is in the snow like when he fought the frog! Nero hangs around with Dante enough he's picking up his mannerisms XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I'd live to give a shout out to bluewolf8000 who read all of my DantexNero stories in five hours! I only know because you faved them all-that's devotion! XD

Okay, I'm not sure how updates are going to be starting pretty soon because I'm moving into my apartment on Saturday and start school on MONDAY! Oh my God where did summer go! ? T_T So be patient! I won't have internet at the apartment until Tuesday, so I'll try to update before I move!

I do not own Dante or Nero! Enjoy!

* * *

Nero quickly followed his trail of pebbles, hoping that he wouldn't make anymore wrong turns along the way. He frowned and stopped abruptly when he heard a noise float down the hall, near the room where he'd been imprisoned.

"Nero…that wasn't a nice trick you pulled." Vinkus called out, the noise reverberated on the smooth stone walls and the young hunter had to bite his demonic hand to keep from gasping loud enough to let the demon know where he was.

'_It wasn't a very nice trick you pulled either.'_ he thought bitterly to himself, continuing to move down the pathway, now seeing the rocks as more of a liability than anything beneficial. If he kicked one now, or scraped his boots on the floor he was likely to give Vinkus the ability to track him down, the demon already had to know where he was going, and as much as he hated to admit it, without the element of surprise, Red Queen or Blue Rose he was no match for Vinkus. He had to play it safe on this one, so he moved as quickly as he could while doing so safely.

"I see you left me a trail to follow, how nice of you…looks as if you've already found the key. You must be headed to the elevator, but there are so many dead ends along the way. Wouldn't want you to get lost…"

'_Fuck off.'_ Nero thought as a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. The demon sounded closer and he was at a junction. With the increased pressure he couldn't remember which was the right way. _'Shit. Learn to think on your feet kid, you have to make a decision.'_

He took a left then a quick right, he was pretty sure it was the correct way, as he walked however his foot brushed over a stone knocking it lightly across the floor with a clatter that seemed to reverberate in Nero's ears.

"There you are."

The half-demon's heart started to pound and he tore off in a sprint, it didn't matter how loud he was now that Vinkus knew where he was and where he was going. The demon knew the maze and Nero didn't. So he had to outrun him _and_ hope he didn't make a wrong turn.

* * *

Dante fired Ebony and Ivory rapidly as he spun in a circle a grin creasing his features when he heard four loud roars rise up around him. The demons raced down towards him and the half-devil got his first look at what had been attacking him the whole time he'd been in this room.

They looked like polar bears, only they had a few dark colored markings around their eyes and paws, they also seemed like they were wearing some kind of armor, because their fur smoothed out in places like the tops of their heads and chests, and when Dante's bullets hit either of those places they bounced off.

"Well, now that you're ready to play, I have a good idea for a game." he smirked again jumping up and landing on one of the bear's backs as it charged after him. He poked it on the head with his index finger, once it stopped to look around in confusion. "Tag, you're it. Catch me if you can." with that he flipped off and raced into the direction he'd been running before, and hoping that the machine to open the door would be that way. The four demons chased after him.

* * *

Nero was involved in his own game of tag, and was quickly realizing he really hated the running part. At least when he was 'it' he could cheat with the use of his arm.

The half-devil sharply rounded a corner and saw a straight hallway stretch out before him. He remembered this way, he had to go totally straight to reach the elevator, but doing so would put him directly into Vinkus's sights. Nero was pretty sure the demon was going to make him pay for what he'd done, so he really wanted to avoid being caught.

There was no time to lose, and no other options to contemplate, he ran down the hallway just as fast as he could, his denim coattails waving behind him. After only a few yards he could swear he _felt_ Vinkus's smirk on his back.

"There you are. Running away doesn't suit you, why don't you just come back and fight?" the demon baited him.

Nero risked a glance over his shoulder to find Vinkus calmly walking after him, as if he really _were_ stupid enough to think he had a chance of beating him with no weapons and no back up. He flipped the demon off with his devil bringer. "Catch me if you can asshole."

"Oh I will. And once I do I'll enjoy every minute." he said licking his lips.

The half-devil shuttered and turned his gaze back to where he was going, running several more yards before turning on his heel to the right-and stopping dead with a gasp. Thorny vines had grown in to block his path.

He turned to shoot a glare back at the demon, who had a smug grin on his face believing himself victor. Nero wouldn't have it, he had to get to Dante-what was taking the old man so long anyway!

He shook his head and decided to rely on pretty much the only weapon he had in his arsenal, he tore into the vines blocking his way with his devil arm.

Vinkus seemed surprised by the maneuver and picked up his pace. Nero brought out the ghostly version of his arm slashing a large enough gap for himself to jump through, rolling across the floor before leaping back onto his feet and running. Only a little further-a few more turns and he'd be to the elevator!

A sharp gasp flew from the half-devil's lips when something snapped around his ankle giving a swift jerk backwards. He growled as he hit the floor flat on his belly and dug his devil arm into the stone below him trying to get his feet under him again and avoid being pulled straight back into the demon's arms.

Before he could get his balance however he let out a yelp as he was roughly grabbed by his hair, and yanked upright. The vine wove up to his thigh keeping him anchored like a tether. Nero threw a punch towards Vinkus's stomach but the devil grabbed his fist and gave a sharp twist, the devil hunter tried to pull off the maneuver Dante had taught him-use the momentum of the twist to flip over and do a sweep kick, but he was pinned down by his leg and hair and so could only bite back a whimper due to the pinpricks of pain emanating from his leg, head and arm.

He tried to shake himself free, but Vinkus smashed him so his face was up against the nearest wall, his arm jacked up behind him and Nero growled. Vinkus pressed up against his back, his tongue lapping up a small tail of sweat dripping down the slayer's neck.

"Mn, what a lovely sound. Let's see if I can make you do that one again." he ratcheted the smaller male's arm up higher getting a yelp of pain as Nero struggled.

"Stop it!" he snapped.

The demon chuckled. "What do you think you'd say in my position? How about 'make me?'"

Nero growled in anger. "I wouldn't be _in_ your position!" he barked, bucking his shoulders. "GET OFF ME!"

"You should just be happy I don't kill you half-breed."

"I am _so_ sorry-I should be _flattered _that a high and mighty demon like you wants to fuck me!" he said sarcastically. He braced his free human hand against the wall and gave a shove backwards, the maneuver hurt his burned fingers, but he had to escape! He got a few inches from the wall but his attempt was quickly squashed as Vinkus smashed him back into the stone, his forehead roughly making contact. He felt hot blood dribble down around his nose to his lips and lightly licked it off. The primal instinct inside him sparked brightly from the coppery tang.

* * *

Dante had to run for about ten minutes, but eventually he found what he was looking for-the mechanism to the door. It was a pillar standing about four feet from the ground. A small sphere rested in the center blocked on four sides from brutal winds, front and back remained open so that the bear demons could in fact freeze the ball and open the door.

He grinned and went to turn around, when he got the feeling that a semi had plowed into his chest and stomach. He was flung like a rag doll for about three yards and landed harshly on his back, his breath knocked out of him. He managed to sit up and find that the bears had been faster than he'd assumed and had caught up to him.

He felt warm liquid quickly turning ice cold dripping down his front and looked down to see that there was a gash from his shoulder down to his ribs where the demon's claw had dug in. His blood had frozen, including the blood in the wound. To Dante it just meant that he wouldn't bleed to death, his demonic healing would take care of it before all the blood in his body froze.

He got to his feet and got his breath back. "Guess this makes me 'it.'" he commented, "So let's play the game my way." he pulled out Ebony and Ivory, crossing them sideways in front of himself and fired at the ground near the demon's paws, making the snow explode in puffs of white.

The bears roared angrily and quickly moved back-faster than he'd seen them move before. He frowned before his eyes widened in realization and he grinned broadly. Their paws weren't armored, if he could hit them enough to keep the bears from moving, they'd have only one way to attack him-their breath, which was exactly what he needed to escape.

He smirked. "Let's party!"

* * *

This has been my favorite chapter to write since chapter 3, so I hope you all enjoyed it! Leave me a review so I can get this updated before I go back to school! :3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 17, 2010


	10. Chapter 10 Horror Flick

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 10

SirenaLoreley: Vinkus caught up to our favorite young hunter-question is what's he going to do to him? ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Glad you liked the chapter, I kinda liked the fact that the game of tag went so well with the whole chapter-I didn't plan that actually! It just kinda happened XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Wow, I'm amazed you still like Vinkus XD it cracks me up I have to say! Glad you like the polar bear parts, it's not too hot where I'm living anymore so it's not so bad :3 and I'm kinda glad you like the bears, they're not too bad :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Kendecia: Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Angelwingkitsune: Yeah, the last two chapters were kind of like filler of fighting and puzzles and junk I needed to kill some time while increasing the drama! XD Nero would beat the fuck out of Vinkus if he had his weapons, unfortunately that's not the case. Though, I don't think it's a princess story, Nero's pretty dead set on saving himself XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Ahtnamas: Wow, this is probably one of the most flattering reviews I've ever received! I try not to be typical-or trashy when writing things XD Glad you can visualize everything too-that's always important to me when I'm writing a scene. Thanks so much for the encouragement and the review! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Yeah, the bears are pretty cool-and I thought of the bears from "The Golden Compass" when I was writing it too XD Except for mine have natural armor, kind of like a rhino XD thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

AvalonParadise: I'm glad you like what I've done with the idea :3 It's sort of taken a life of it's own-as for Vinkus I sent you a personal message describing him, if you have anymore questions, like I said, feel free to ask-but it might take me a few days to get back to you, I'm going to start moving into an apartment tomorrow and I won't have internet until Tuesday! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Okay everyone, I won't be able to update again until at least after Tuesday of this coming week because I won't have internet! Hope you're all okay with that!

I don't own Dante or Nero-please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Dante ran circles around the bears, attacking their feet with Ebony and Ivory at every opportunity. Finding this method wasn't as quick as he'd like he also used some of Lucifer's spears and got two of them pinned to the ground close to the sphere to open the door. The other two he figured were unnecessary to his goals and whipped out Rebellion.

He jumped towards the two, who moved out of his way, to either side of him boxing in the half-devil. Dante swung his blade at one, grazing it's side, but leaving himself open to attack from the other and attack it did. The bear's claws tore into his back, with a powerful swipe that sent him flying into the snow.

Dante stood up spitting out white flakes and quickly turned back around, coattails flaring as he dove towards the one who'd hit him. The demon was part way up on two legs and the half-human's attack hit the armored plates of his chest, sliding across until he hit a small weak spot, his blade cutting into the bear's shoulder. It gave a roar of pain and lashed out once again with it's massive paw. Dante pulled back and flipped out of the way at the last second. He held back a wince as he tore open the three new wounds on his back as well as the one on his chest with the maneuver.

"Real tough guy, huh?" he asked with a small smirk. He ran forward once again, but instead of attacking directly at it's front he jumped up performing an aerial spin around to the bear's back, his blade sinking in between the monster's giant ribs. Dante twisted to turn his blade so the point was facing the demon's other side and drove it in, hitting more vital organs than he could count the bear fell down dead with barely a sound.

The half-devil tore out his sword, his blade covered in blue blood, some of it splashing onto him. It was freezing cold. "Huh…I guess you guys are cold-blooded in every sense of the word."

He glanced around for the other bear he hadn't dealt with yet. However it was still hard to see, and the creature was mostly white. The only thing he could really make out were a few of Lucifer's blades, crackling red, a few yards away.

Dante whistled and clapped his hands. "Here boy! Come out and play."

The half-devil quickly rolled out of the way before he was crushed under a massive paw. He got to his feet again, bracing himself on the snow as the beast charged him.

"Let's play chicken." he grinned, the scenario reminding him of one similar within the walls of Temen-Ni-Gru. He tapped into a power he hadn't used in awhile. Quicksilver.

Time seemed to stand still and Dante leapt onto the monster's back, grabbing hold and preparing for the ride of his life. He released his grip on time and the beast stopped charging, looking around in confusion seeing as how the devil hunter had just disappeared. Then he realized there was something on his back and roared in irritation, bucking and trying to fling Dante off.

"Yeeha!" the half devil laughed, keeping in his seat and holding onto the creature.

Finally the demon seemed to have enough with Dante's good time and flipped over onto the snow, trying to crush his tiny adversary. The demon hunter managed to escape in the nick of time, drawing Rebellion and slashing down quickly onto the bear's neck, slicing through his jugular and spraying himself as well as the surrounding snow with a freezing azure mist.

"Whew, two down. Now…" he made his way back to the door mechanism in front of the two trapped bears and hopped up to sit on top of it before drawing his pistols and shooting at the two demons, who roared at him before blowing their freezing breath. Dante turned his head away from the cold air, but also so he could watch the door. After a moment or two the red barrier burst and cleared his path.

The bears, seeming to sense their cue stopped attacking him and he looked over.

"You have beaten us." one said. Dante blinked in surprise, usually only higher level demons were able to talk.

"No shit Sherlock." he said flatly.

"Please. Vinkus trapped us here. We would like to help you in your quest to destroy him." the other bear stated, a glowing light enveloped them both and Dante shielded his eyes waiting for it to dissipate before uncovering them.

Where one bear had stood there was a pair of gauntlets with long icy claws made out of a silver so pale that it was almost white. The other had turned into a pair of greaves, much the same style. 'Frostbite' was etched into the side of one of the gauntlets.

Dante smirked. "I always seem to get a pair of these things on big missions." he muttered to himself. The weapons flew over and attached themselves to the half-devil's hands and feet a mask, much like Gilgamesh, came up over his mouth and nose. Dante exhaled heavily and when he did a burst of cold air came out of the mask, like the bear's breath.

"Well that's handy." he grinned to himself before turning and heading for the open door.

* * *

Nero's eyes took on a red hue as more of his own blood dripped onto his lips, Vinkus's hand slid around to unzip his hoodie and touch his bare chest, his hand trailing lower when he realized part of the teen's torso was covered by the remains of his shirt as well as bandages from the fight with Dante.

Nero had never tried his devil trigger without Yamato before, he didn't think he could do it without the legendary blade, but the feeling of power surging up inside him said differently. Usually he took Yamato everywhere with him, but today he'd just been out to play around with Dante. The katana was powerful, too powerful, he hadn't thought he'd need it.

Nero licked his crimson lips and let his outrage at being taken advantage of snake through his body. The power within him crested and he released it, a bright blue light exploded from his form and knocked Vinkus away. The flash lasted only a moment and Nero knew he'd have to make the most of it. He turned to run, but his leg caught, still trapped by the vine. He slashed it with his claws by his foot, the vine was still wrapped up to his thigh, but he wasn't tied to the ground anymore, and that was all that mattered. He tore off down the hallway, only a few more turns-he was sure of it.

"You damn **brat!**" the demon roared, coming full tilt after him.

"Shit. I think I actually managed to piss him off this time." Nero muttered to himself, as he continued to sprint, taking several turns in stride.

The half devil flung himself around the last corner and found the elevator was finally in sight. He bolted for it-gasping and almost tripping as the vine still around his leg constricted, the thorns painfully digging in. The thing should be DEAD how was Vinkus controlling it!

'_Doesn't matter, kid, all that matters is that he CAN so get your ass moving to that elevator!'_ his internal voice shouted at him…sounded a bit like Dante actually. He needed to stop hanging around the man so much.

Nero flung himself into the machine, whirling around to grab the gate with his bringer and slam it closed. Blood oozed down his leg from the cuts of the painful thorns, but the devil hunter continued to ignore it. He held the grate closed with his demonic arm, fumbling the key out of his pocket with his left and pushing it into the key slot. The lights in the chamber activated, signaling the key was the right one. Nero snuck a glance back through the elevator gate and his heart jammed into his throat when he saw the demon raging towards him vines and plants growing behind him as he ran.

"Shit." he breathed, looking back at the panel he slammed the button for floor eight. The button lit up and stayed lit up as the elevator prepared to move. "Come on you hunk of junk." he whispered to himself.

"No!" Vinkus roared lunging into the grate, vines weaving their way in, trying to attack the half-human male.

Nero threw himself backwards so he hit the back wall certain that the demon was about to rip the door open and this place really would become hell for him. However, before he could get in, the elevator dropped, it felt like the cable had been cut and Nero was freefalling. His heart pounded, adrenaline injected into every vein until the monstrosity stopped…and stopped very gently.

The male took a moment to slide down the wall sit there quietly shaking with nerves and relief that he was still alive. He looked down at the vine around his leg and started gently pulling it out of his flesh, hoping to do less damage to himself by not haphazardly ripping them out.

It came out pretty easily, but the fabric of his right pant leg was now soaked with blood. He sighed and pulled himself to his feet, looking down he realized his chest was still bare from the damn demon feeling him up. He pulled the zipper back up to his collarbone.

It was time to find Dante…but where could he be?

* * *

Vinkus snarled obscenities to himself as he marched down the maze corridors. There was no other way of getting to Nero now that he was in the lower levels. The only way to go backwards was that elevator, and he had no key for it and no way to bring it back.

"The child is hot headed. He'll come back with the Son of Sparda in tow to try to defeat me…so I guess I'd better prepare to face them both." he muttered making his way back to his room.

* * *

Nero slowly opened the grate to the elevator, he had no idea what to expect down here and he needed to proceed with caution. He looked around, but it was dark, the room looked huge and cavernous, the ceiling stretched so high he couldn't even see where it ended.

"Dante?" he asked, using his bringer to light his way. His voice echoed around the seemingly empty room. It gave the devil hunter the creeps, like he was in Silent Hill or something. _'I might as well be in a horror flick. Stupid guy number one. I don't have anything to defend myself with-except my arm, and I'm walking into a dark, scary room alone, looking for my boyfriend? More like slutty girl number one.' _he thought wryly.

Still the room stayed quiet and Nero backed up again into the elevator, if Dante was here he would have said something, responded somehow, he must have been in a lower level.

The demon hunter closed the metal grille with a shrill screeching sound and hit the button for the next floor down. Before the contraption moved however Nero looked back out into the room and saw a huge red eye examining him, large pointy white teeth curling into a smile, inky, shadowy figures started towards the elevator, then the piece of junk dropped and the teen had to hold back a sigh of relief. Something told him the elevator had just saved him from horrible death number two.

* * *

I make a little joke here with Dante because he DOES always seem to get a pair of gauntlets and greaves in like every game! XD He gets Ifrit, Beowolf and Gilgamesh in 1, 3, and 4 respectively. I have no idea if he gets one in the second game.

I've also realized that I like making Dante and Nero's internal voices sound like each other, though it actually kinda makes sense I think, they're almost constantly mentoring each other, it seems like when they're in a jam they'd hear the other to get their ass moving XD

Again, won't be able to update until Tuesday-so leave me some nice reviews so I'll have them in my inbox when I get back! :3 Remember reviews help keep me writing! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 20, 2010


	11. Chapter 11 Mirror Mirror

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 11

Kendecia: Go Nero! :3 Here's some more! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: It was kinda like a horror film :3 The elevator is awesome. The evil demon was pretty freaky, right? XD I'd like to see Nero's face too. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Dante does get a lot of gauntlets and greaves :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Nero escaped, but he's not quite out of the doghouse yet! The horror flick part is one of my favorite lines ever XD Dante does always get the gauntlet weapons. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: I know the horror flick line was awesome :3 Dante likes to compare things to games, like chicken and gladiators XD Yeah, Nero doesn't get any new weapons, just new abilities with his arm. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Metamorcy: I'm glad you like my humor, I like to toss a little bit in to keep things on the lighter side. :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Thanks for all the reviews and the continued encouragement everyone! I don't own Dante or Nero!

* * *

Dante entered the next room and frowned, the room itself was cavernous the walls uneven, so that they could be climbed presumably. What he needed was up above. He looked up and saw demons moving so fast they looked like yellow blurs, streaks of lightning showing where they'd passed. Their nests sat up there as well, that was what the half-devil was interested in. The inscription said the key to the next room would be in one of their nests. It would be easier to check out their digs if the birds were gone. He whipped out Lucifer and grabbed a handful of swords, throwing them up in the air where they stood suspended.

One of the birds ran into one causing the spear to explode and the demon to shriek with rage that the others seemed to take this personally as they flew out of their nests and shot down towards the demon hunter.

"Oh-" Dante cut himself short as he lunged out of the way, the golden eagle-like bird demons, pulling up short before they hit the ground and turned towards the half-devil. They moved too quickly for him to react at first, diving past him, scratching his face and any other exposed skin with their sharp beaks and talons.

The son of Sparda figured he'd better act fast and threw a few more of Lucifer's swords, quickly snapping his fingers to make them explode. One of the birds fell to the ground, lifeless, a shard from one of the blades lodged in it's head.

'_They're fast, but not very strong.'_ Dante realized, dodging once again as the birds dove towards him, he cried out in pain when he felt several hundred volts of electricity shoot through his body. They must've decided to kick the fight up a notch. He fell to the ground his muscles convulsing. He managed to turn his head towards them, seemed like a good time to try out his new weapon. Frostbite's mask covered his mouth he exhaled as best he could, a bluish-white mist flew out of the mask hitting a few of the birds, making them screech as their wings were coated in a thick frost making them crash land on the ground.

The demons writhed but Dante found his own motor skills returning just fine. He stood up and exhaled again, this time a more powerful blast that froze the birds in their tracks. The demon hunter lifted his right hand covered with the gauntlet he'd just received and cut them down with ease.

He looked up above at the nests, they looked like regular birds nests made of grasses and mud. He flipped Ebony and Ivory out of their holsters and started a quick barrage through the nests until something heavy fell through the bottom of one due to his rough attentions. The key landed with a metallic jingle and Dante walked over to scoop it up tossing it in the air once before catching it.

"I'm coming Nero."

* * *

The elevator stopped again on level seven and Nero took the time to look around before he did something stupid like open the door and walk into a demon's mouth or something. This room was nothing like the last however. It seemed to be made entirely of dark colored mirrors. The ceiling was low enough for him to see and he could see across the entire floor. There didn't seem to be anything in the room, other than a door about one hundred feet away on the left and another across from it on the right.

He pulled open the grille and carefully stepped out onto the glossy surface of the floor. His reflection seemed to appear in all the mirrors and he frowned. _'I look like shit.'_ was the first though that scampered through his mind. He truly did look like he had been through hell. He was covered in blood, grass stains, dust and mud, his face was still coated with some of his own dried blood from the wound on his forehead. He rubbed his face with his jacket sleeve, peeling off the sticky crimson lines.

When he looked up again however his mirror image had changed-drastically. His hair had turned black, his skin and clothes dark, his eyes a glowing crimson. His devil bringer had turned a shiny ebony, red light shining between the plates.

"Uh-oh." he whispered, finally realizing the danger of this room. He took a step back as his reflection disappeared and ran into something, when he whirled around he saw the dark, inverted version of himself, 3D and very solid. He held a black revolver with red roses on it, a double barrel, over-under style in his right, human hand…and it was aimed at him. (1)

Nero rolled out of the way as he was shot at. "Oh so you have bullets-that's just great!" he snapped, flipping out of the way of another shot.

* * *

'_Stain your sword with the blood of the demons within to unlock the next level.'_

Dante lightly smirked as he unlocked the door and made his way into level six. The room was hot to say the least, and the floor looked molten. He looked up and saw three giant, flying, reptilian creatures. One was red, one was blue and one was green. Dante could swear his jaw dropped. Seriously? This guy had _dragons! _(2)

"Hot damn, he's pulling out all the stops." he grinned, knowing at least he didn't have to kill these things, he just had to make one of them bleed.

He whistled loudly as he walked further into the room, drawing the demons' attention. They stared at him oddly as if unsure what he was.

"Come on boys, fresh meat!" he called out, holding his arms out to both sides, seemingly leaving himself wide open. The dragons tilted their heads before giving shrill wails and diving towards him. Fire jetted from their mouths in scorching torrents and Dante threw himself out of the way before turning back towards them and jumping onto, Sapphire, the blue one's back. He retrieved Rebellion and slashed, but his blade nicked off the smooth scales, making him realize the twist to this challenge. Before he could try anything else he was knocked off when the dragon did a barrel roll in the air.

Dante landed on his feet, and his hard blue eyes scanned the demons for weak points as he set out to dodge their flames and bait them until he could figure out how to win.

* * *

Nero was not fairing as well in the next room. His face had three long scratches on his right cheek, all dripping blood, his jacket arms had a few holes where he'd been cut by his doppelganger's left devil arm, his hoodie protected him from the razor claws, but not from the few bullets that he'd managed to get hit with in the chest.

His dark form fired Red Rose at him once again, causing the young hunter to roll to avoid it, his own devil arm shooting out to catch his doppelganger's leg, swinging him off balance and spinning once before throwing him into one of the mirrors, causing it to shatter. His double stood up, black liquid dripping behind him in a grotesque mockery of blood. Nero's double reached behind him and with a wet, slurping sound produced a shard of glass that had obviously been stuck in the monster's back.

"Fuck." Nero whispered, rubbing the crimson liquid from his cheek with the back of his hand, the fabric wrapped around for his burns helping to soak up the crimson liquid.

He gasped when his shadow form whipped the shard at him, the devil hunter leaping out of the way and landing in a crouch as he stared at where the piece of glass had shattered the mirror behind him and was still sticking in the wall a few inches. He was so distracted by the piece of glass that almost took his head off he was easily grabbed around the throat by his counterpart and smashed up against the nearest wall, crushing his windpipe.

His doppelganger leaned forward, the smirk that Nero gave when he was victorious curling it's lips. His tongue flicked out to lick the blood off his cheek, grin widening

Nero writhed against the wall, gasping, trying to get air into his lungs but to no avail. He was trapped.

* * *

(1) Keep in mind that inverted means that Nero's doppelganger has a human right hand, demonic left hand. He only has the weapons that Nero himself has so right now he's only got the inverted form of Blue Rose which will be referred to as Red Rose. If Nero had Red Queen, dark Nero would have Blue Queen. Get the gist? ;3

(2) Okay, when I'm talking about dragons, I'm thinking the Japanese form of dragons, meaning long serpentine bodies and short legs. If you've seen Spirited Away (not mine) kind of like that dragon, or for you Zelda people, like Volvagia from Ocarina of Time(also not mine).

Finally got my internet back…somewhat. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with updates! Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 24, 2010


	12. Chapter 12 Playing with Fire

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 12

XXC-loudxS-trifeXx: About damn time you caught up! XD I'm just kidding. Glad you're reading and like the story though! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yeah, Nero's doppelganger is pretty awesome XD I would love to see Dante riding a dragon too…that'd be pretty epic XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Nero's doppelganger looks pretty cool in my mind *hands tissue for nosebleed* Yeah, I love Spirited Away, it's one of my favorite movies! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Yeah, Dante wiped out those birds like it was nobody's business! They would have been harder for a human, or Nero since I doubt a human would make it that far to begin with! XD Nero does get to fight his own doppelganger, so it's pretty sweet. Nero also spends a lot of time pinned to walls and licked…hmm…I didn't notice until you said something XD I just must find it creepy having someone lick your sweat or blood. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: You want some of Dante's fresh meat? I don't think Nero would like that very much XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: The two are getting closer together, I'm glad you like my work. The bears were really fun to write, Dante spent a lot of time in that frozen room! XD Thanks for reviewing chaps 10 and 11! *gives cookies*

Okay, I don't own Dante or Nero, but all the other stuff in here I made up is mine! XD Enjoy!

* * *

Nero struggled to breathe his mind panicking, all he could think about was getting some air into his lungs. He started kicking and scratching, his claws slid between the armor plates of his doppelganger's bringer, slicing into the soft skin.

The demon screamed and yanked his arm away, letting Nero fall to the ground, as glowing red blood dripped from the wound. The devil hunter gulped in oxygen and started to roll out of the way when his dark double kicked him in the stomach, once again making him lose his breath. The doppelganger placed his foot on Nero's chest, pulling out Red Rose and cocking it.

The real hunter glared. He was tired of being in distress. He grabbed the barrel of the ebony colored gun, twisting it away from his counterpart and lifted his legs to kick the demon in the chest off and away from him.

"Tables are turning." he breathed, standing up, wiping the blood and saliva off his cheek. "I think I've had enough shit kicked out of me for one day."

* * *

Dante was tiring of the 'find the weak point' game. _'I think I like it better when it's a big glowing dot somewhere.'_ he thought blandly as he counteracted one of the dragon's jets of fire with his frozen breath from Frostbite. Then he lunged, feeling the flames ghosting over his legs and boots. He dragged the freezing claws all the way down the green dragon's back. The weapon caused the dragon to freeze, crashing to the ground, but no blood to be seen, after a moment the frozen body exploded, and still no sanguine liquid.

"One down-" he shot another breath of frozen air to stop a stream of fire coming for him, then rolled out of the way. He looked at the red dragon. "Wait your turn, would ya?" he asked with a smirk, ducking out of the way of another attack, his coattails getting charred as he barely escaped. "Man, you guys have something against my coat today don't you?"

Lucifer's wings opened on his back and he threw several swords up at his remaining opponents. The flying lizards roared as their sleek bodies twisted and soared out of the way of the glowing blades.

Dante grinned. "I love it when you play hard to get."

The dragons both turned back towards him and started breathing fire, one flipped onto it's back over it's sibling and both extended their claws, ready to slice the son of Sparda to ribbons whether he went over or under them. Dante dove forward under them, gasping as a claw sliced open his leg, his leather coat managing to keep the flames from touching his skin, though he could feel it burning him due to the proximity. He flipped himself onto his back holding back a wince and grabbed another of Lucifer's blades lifting it to cut into the dragon's belly, surprisingly enough he managed to jam it between two of the soft scale plates. The demon gave a short scream and blood dripped down the blade in Dante's hand.

"Jackpot." he whispered. His victory grin was cut short when he realized the dragon was falling towards him, and he only had about a foot of wiggle room at the moment. He'd stabbed the creature in the heart with one random jab and had killed it almost instantly.

He yanked out his blade and rolled to the side, managing to escape just in time. He exhaled in relief, then remembered what happened to the last dragon and rolled to his feet, leaping away from it as it exploded, sending huge chunks of gore and blood into the air a lump of it landing on the devil hunter.

"Aw, gross!" he grumbled. "I just needed a little blood thanks!" he flicked his hands off as he made his way to the door, dodging the final dragon's attacks as he went.

* * *

Nero fired a few shots from Red Rose, the first one nearly giving him a heart attack as the bullet casings flew towards him, it felt so much like his normal firearm, he'd expected it to work the same way. Blue Rose was modified to eject the casings to the left since he fired with his left hand, but the inverted revolver was meant to be used by a right handed wielder. After a few more successful shots he ran into the same problem he was having with his own firearm, he ran out of bullets and his copy grinned widely.

"Is my toy broken?" he asked. "You are not bad, not bad at all. This is an interesting form you have, almost human but with demonic strength." he clenched his devil bringer.

Nero shoved the black revolver in the waistband of his pants, even if he couldn't use it, it was better that the demon didn't have it.

"Other demons wouldn't agree with you there."

"No, I guess they wouldn't, but it does have it's appeals…You should know the name of the one who is to defeat you. I am Oren. I want to keep this form. To do that you, Nero, must die."

"I'm not too fond of that plan. I really rather like living. I'm the real deal, and you're a stupid copy so you're going down." he stated before rushing forward intent on punching Oren's lights out with his bringer. The demon laughed, flipping back to lift one leg, wrapping it over Nero's elbow, making the joint buckle.

Oren's foot wrapped around behind the devil hunter's back knocking him onto the ground and pinning him he grabbed his gun from Nero's waistband. He held the hunter down with his legs as the young male struggled. The demon grinned, sliding two bullets into the chamber.

"Buh bye now…Nero." He cocked the gun, but gasped when the sound of gunfire echoed around the chamber making him roll and disappear into the mirror that was the floor. The young hunter laid motionless on the ground thinking he was dead and Dante sprinted across the room, worried he was too late.

"Kid! Nero!" he shouted, running, before sliding down to his knees next to the younger male.

"Dante?" Nero rolled over so he was facing his lover and managed to lightly smirk. "It took you long enough…old man. Where have you been?"

"Fighting through hell to save you kiddo, ruined my favorite coat too." he said, looking over his shoulder at the three long tears in the back of his red leather as well as the burn marks.

Nero chuckled, sitting up and wrapping his arms around the older man's neck, hugging him.

"Glad to see you too." he said patting the younger man's back, lightly tucking his head under his chin. "Unfortunately seems our little reunion is going to have to wait. We have company kid."

"Tell me about it. Do you know how much it sucks getting your ass handed to you by _yourself?_" he asked as Dante helped to pull him to his feet.

"Can't say I have." he lightly smirked. "Why aren't you fighting back?"

"I _am_. But…Blue Rose is out of rounds…" he lightly cringed at the statement, slightly embarrassed to be caught unprepared.

"Here. Take Ebony for now. We'll finish off this imposter together." he winked, "No worries kid."

"Heartfelt…truly." Oren grinned, clapping his hands, until an inverted form of Ebony appeared in his hand, it was white, basically just like Dante's Ivory. "I really do like this form though." he grinned and lifted the inverted Ebony rapidly firing at Nero.

The older hunter pushed his lover behind him so he didn't get hit by the bullets and whipped out Lucifer, throwing the blades towards Oren, who simply disappeared back into the floor.

Nero frowned. "Well that's…annoying." he pressed his back up against Dante's as they watched the mirrors all around them, waiting for the demon to appear again. Nero held Ebony at the ready. Dante's right hand hovered over Ivory's grip, his left just a centimeter from one of Lucifer's blades.

"I don't see him." Nero murmured.

"Just wait."

The two hunters continued to flick their gazes around trying to find the demon. Being on the defensive put both of them on edge.

Suddenly Oren appeared in every mirror around them and both half-devils fired at the first one they saw making the demon laugh, his voice reverberating in the room. "Jumpy are we?"

Nero glared. "I wish you would _jump_ on out here so we can kick your ass!"

"Two against one hardly seems fair, shouldn't you be the honorable type?"

"Sorry, honor takes a backseat to survival." he murmured. (1)

"Smart child."

Nero rolled his eyes. "I'm really getting tired of everyone calling me everything but my name."

"Better than 'Son of Sparda' trust me, that one gets old fast." Dante commented.

"_You _are the Son of Sparda?" the demon inquired.

"See what I mean?" the older hunter chuckled.

"How pleased then master Vinkus will be when I end you both." he said gleefully. "He may even free me from this hellish place!"

"Great. Like he needed another reason to kill us." Nero stated.

"Get ready, here we go!" Dante warned, as Oren seemed to appear in all the mirrors once again.

* * *

(1) I say this because Nero was the only one of the Holy Knights in the Order of the Sword to use a firearm. The other knights thought it was dishonorable, therefore Nero must think that something is more important than being an honorable opponent, so I'd think it was survival.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Dante and Nero are finally reunited! :3 So what's going to happen with Oren? You'll find out in the next chapter! Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 28, 2010


	13. Chapter 13 Damsel in Distress

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 13

Pushka: Dante's coat really does need replaced XD Poor guy. If you want his coat you'll probably have to take it up with him XD I liked writing the reunion, Dante is just on time as always. Oren I just figured worked because it was a real name and since this demon is a mirrored version it made sense for his name :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

xXC-loudxS-trifeXx: Yep, Oren is Nero inverted just like the rest of him :3 And yeah, I know what you're talking about with Kingdom Hearts. People's nobodies are their names moved around with an x added, like Roxas and Axel :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: I'm glad you like the story, I'm obsessed with DantexNero too-as if you couldn't tell XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yep, the two have to get rid of Oren before they can have a proper reunion. I have to admit I don't really like writing them separately but writing their reunion is always fun :3Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Yep, you'll have to take down Nero for Dante's fresh meat-and I personally would not do that, but good luck! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Anon(? You left it blank XD): Yeah, Oren is Nero backwards :3 I felt pretty clever myself when I thought of it. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Nero does seem to be a damsel in distress, but he would have escaped if he hadn't had to go looking for Dante! XD Yeah, actually I found that Nero was the only Order member to use a gun on DMC wiki. The other knights thought it was dishonorable I assume Nero used it because it was a tool for fighting demons and he was the best at his job! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Morimur: Wow! I can't believe you read Tick Tock and this story at one time! XD I can't even do that! XD I'm glad you like my style it's taken me like 14 years to perfect it ;3 I've had lots of practice. Glad you think I keep the boys in character too-that's always very important to me. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I'm updating a day early, because I have more classes on Mon, Weds and Friday than I do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I hope you guys like! I don't own Dante or Nero! Enjoy!

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"_Get ready, here we go!" Dante warned, as Oren seemed to appear in all the mirrors once again._

"Hold steady." Nero murmured, watching all the mirrors in his direction. "He can only make one of himself…I think."

"That sounds like confidence." Dante said sarcastically, but did as asked and held still keeping a keen eye out. He really hated playing games like these where he didn't have the advantage, the rules weren't clear and he was on edge.

"There!" Nero gasped as he saw one of the figures coming out of the mirror he shot it with Ebony a few times, Dante whirling around to lend backup with Ivory causing Oren to retreat back into the looking glass, with a snarl.

"What was that about?" the older hunter inquired, turning back around when the other copies disappeared from the mirrors again.

"He started coming out of the mirror, keep an eye out for that, but I think he's just playing with us."

"Gotcha."

Before they could say anymore there was a loud roar and Oren flew out of the mirror to Nero's left side, tackling the young half-devil. Nero lifted Ebony to protect himself, Dante turning to aim Ivory but frowned when he realized the two were tussling on the floor too quickly for him to get a lock on the demon. All he was able to see was a flash of Nero's white hair and pale skin and then the red glow of Oren's devil arm.

The demon knocked off Ebony's trajectory with his inverted pistol. The young half-devil rolled them over with a growl, scratching at his copy with his bringer, as he lashed out however Oren found an opening and slashed Nero's throat, blood gushing out as he flipped them over again.

Dante stood by helplessly worried that if he jumped in he'd end up hitting his partner. The scent of Nero's blood hit his nose abruptly. Had he come this far just for the kid to die in front of him! ? He wanted to do something-like pull the kid out of there, but he really doubted that Nero would appreciate the effort.

"Kid!" he gasped.

"I'm fine old man!" he snapped in return, getting a few shots into the demon with Ebony, pinning down his devil arm with his own, fighting off the inverted form of Dante's left handgun. Oren leaned close and snapped his teeth into the scratches he'd inflicted earlier on the demon hunter's neck. Nero scraped at his counterpart's face with his talons trying to get him to release his grip when he realized he had a perfect opening to end this fight. He sliced his claws across the demon's jugular making him gasp and let go of the flesh in his mouth. Then Nero pulled out Ebony pressing it to his opponent's forehead.

"Buh bye Oren." he stated before pulling the trigger. Nero turned his face away, but the demon just exploded into blackness, leaving Red Rose behind. The demon hunter frowned, reaching out to pick it up with his devil bringer.

"You okay Nero?"

"Just peachy." he mumbled pressing his fingers to the gushing wounds in his neck. As he stood he felt light headed but quirked an eyebrow when his devil bringer glowed and Red Rose was absorbed into it. He frowned, feeling a warm power travel up his arm. The appendage screamed for more; more power. He looked down at his reflection and for a moment he saw red eyes and a dark face grinning back at him.

The younger male snapped his fingers and the inverse version of himself appeared.

"_I did say I enjoyed this form…and if Vinkus won't set me free, the next best thing is to help you kill that arrogant bastard." _the copy smirked.

"Fine. Get lost for now, I don't need you." as soon as the words were said the double disappeared into the mirror below Nero, and it returned to his normal reflection.

Dante walked out in front of the younger slayer and pulled his bloodied fingers away from the wounds on his neck.

"Hold still." he murmured, wrapping his arms around his partner as he started cleaning the injuries with his tongue. Nero hissed softly, but all but melted into the embrace, his head tilting forward to rest against Dante's strong shoulder, his arms wrapping loosely around the older male's waist. After a few moments he felt the wounds on his neck slowly knitting closed under the older man's experienced mouth. That was a relief but he was still covered in cuts, bruises and burns.

Dante moved to leave tender kisses on his neck. "Tell me where it hurts." he whispered.

Nero chuckled. "Everywhere. I've been burned, beaten, pricked, shot, cut and groped since I lost track of you."

"Sounds like you've had a pretty rough day too. I've been cut, soaked, suffocated, frozen, pecked at by birds and torched by dragons."

"All to save me, huh?" he asked, pulling back to lightly smirk and look Dante in the eye.

"I'd do lots more than that to get you back. My little damsel in distress." he teased.

Nero glared. "I think I'm clever enough to escape on my own, but this time I had to come looking for _you_."

Dante laughed. "Oh, so I'm the troublesome one now, eh?" he scooped the younger man into his arms, carrying him towards the elevator he'd noticed earlier. "So I can see you're bleeding all over the place, let's see what we can do about that, and in the meantime you can tell me how it happened."

"Story time?"

"I guess so." he chuckled, putting Nero on his feet before taking off Lucifer, laying it aside, and his coat, laying it on the floor of the elevator for them to sit on. They both flopped down and Dante started by tilting the younger's face towards him and licking the wound on his forehead before moving to the scratches in his cheek.

"Vinkus did the first when he was trying to feel me up. I was resisting and he smacked my face into the wall." he paused as Dante growled a smidgen possessively; the thought of a demon laying their hands on _his_ Nero obviously pissing him off. Nero smirked lightly at the sound before continuing, explaining his injuries and his heroic escape as Dante's warm tongue soothed his wounds and coaxed them into healing faster. Nero's clothes were slowly shed as the older man moved to the less accessible wounds on his arms and chest.

The older man's fingers and tongue danced over his skin and injuries and Nero couldn't help but start dozing off, he'd been though a lot in one day, not to mention all the healing his body was working on at once.

"It's okay kid, rest for a little bit."

Nero forced his eyes to stay open. "No, I'm fine."

"Stubborn as ever."

"Damn right I am." he stated with a cocky smirk. "If I wasn't then I'd probably be dead."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." he smiled pecking the younger's lips. Nero's bringer tangled in his lover's hair and pulled him back for a more lingering kiss, their tongues playing and twisting together as the younger male pulled himself as close as he could to the man above him. Dante broke off first.

"Easy kid, don't get too fired up."

Nero sighed. "Yeah, I suppose this isn't the safest place…"

Dante chuckled. "Not really. You feeling okay then?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." he stated, pulling his hoodie back on and zipping it up. "What about you? You had some pretty big cuts." He could still see the gaping holes in the older man's shirt.

"They're all healed up now, except this damn one on my leg, but it's getting there." he said, looking at the back of his right leg where the dragon had cut him open. Where there had once been a huge gash, it had trickled down to just a thin slice.

"Okay, that's good. So what are we going to do now? I'm not too well armed at the moment," he held up Ebony as if to prove his point before continuing. "And you look just as tired out as I feel. Vinkus controls plant life. We're going to have to be on top of it to defeat him."

"You got me there kid. I don't know…I really don't know."

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Okay, writing the scene where Nero was fighting his double was REALLY hard so if it was hard to picture I'm really sorry!

I'm also very sorry this chapter sucks DX Something about it just doesn't sit right with me, maybe just not enough happens or it's not suspenseful enough, I don't know. So to make up for the suckiness that is chapter 13 I bring you a short! It was actually inspired by my little sister TwoSided :3 Enjoy!'

Nero perched himself on the desk next to Dante's booted feet and lightly smirked. The elder eyed him warily from under his magazine before removing it entirely.

"What?" he wondered.

"I just thought up a game we could play."

Dante started to smile. "A game, huh? What are the stakes?"

"Hmm, I don't know," he shrugged. "The usual?"

"I love the usual." he grinned. "So what is the game, kid?"

"Well, it's basically two truths and a lie. One person tells two truths about themselves and one lie and the other has to guess which one is the lie so you've got to make it convincing."

Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You go first." Nero prompted.

"Okay…so two truths and a lie…in any order?"

"If it was in the same order every time, it seems like it'd be a bit easy, don't cha think?"

"True. Okay, here goes. One time I got so wasted I proposed to a mop, I loved Lady when we first met, and I have once fantasized about pizza while we were fucking."

Nero gave him a flat look. "That last one better have been the lie."

Okay, pretty sure that the second one was a lie, but we'll assume Dante would be able to wiggle his way out of that one XD…at least until Nero asked Lady. Leave me a review! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth August 31, 2010


	14. Chapter 14 Barrel Full of Laughs

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 14

xDragon-Queenx: Glad you liked the short :3 I may do some more, they're usually just little extras when I don't think a chapter is long or good enough :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: The two are finally reunited! Fire might do the trick against Vinkus, too bad neither of the guys has any fire on them. If Nero had Red Queen he might never have gotten captured! I really liked the tongue bath, it let the two reconnect a little bit and take care of each other :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Glad you thought that the chapter was okay :3 I really liked Oren so I figured that Nero should get something out of this whole venture XD besides that Oren kind of has a mind of his own which is really fun ;3 Yeah, tongue bath was awesomesauce XD I'm wouldn't be surprised if Dante fantasized about eating pizza while banging Nero, or something similar XD Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Kendecia: Glad you liked the pizza fantasy XD Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Yeah, proposing to a mop when he was wasted once was part of the manga XD The lie definitely was liking Lady when they first met because she shot him in the head XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: Nero was pretty bad ass, taking his doppelganger by himself ;3 I'd jump Dante for licking me all over too XD Yeah, damsel in distress kinda brings the pretty, pink princess image to mind XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

xXC-loudxS-trifeXx: Glad you liked the shorty at the end. And don't worry about offending me-I know the chapter was missing something…I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. There was action, suspense, and romance, but it just didn't seem to mesh correctly…I reworked it several times, but that was the best I could do :3 Glad you liked it anyways. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Ah, so that was you last chapter XD yeah, I have anon reviews able so you probably just didn't notice you weren't logged in, it happens to the best of us. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: yes, Nero is everyone's favorite dude-in-distress XD glad you liked that line, I found it rather amusing. Glad you enjoyed the licking so much XD I just thought it was a sweet way for Dante to take care of Nero while Nero got to tell his story. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

kyotoxo1: I could see Dante having an affair with pizza too-or at least joking about it XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Thanks for all the encouragement everyone! I really do appreciate the feedback! I also apologize for the late update! I've been getting used to college again and it's killing my muse slowly. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing though! I don't own Dante or Nero! Enjoy!

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"Well, we're not leaving without killing that goddamn demon after the hell he put me through today. I know I'm not armed well enough but he is going to pay." Nero said with conviction, his devil bringer clenching.

"I think we can fix some of that armed problem. Rebellion might be a little too unwieldy for you to handle, and these new ones I just get a hold of are more like extensions on what you already got," he tapped Nero's devil arm. "It might be better to teach you how to use Lucifer."

"Wait, how is an extension of my devil arm a bad reason?"

"You'll only have one way to fight kid, up close-or smashing things into walls. Lucifer is good if you can only have one weapon, it's up close and distance-plus it can explode which is always awesome."

Nero looked over to the backpack shaped weapon and frowned. It wasn't Red Queen or Blue Rose-it wasn't trying to be, but if he could use it to kick Vinkus's ass?

"Teach me."

Dante smirked. "Gladly."

The older hunter stood and grabbed the weapon off the ground attaching it to his back as he made his way back out into the mirrored room. A smirk graced his features as he held his hands out and Lucifer's wings opened.

"First I…whip it out!"

Nero groaned. "Stop playing around Dante."

"I'm not playing," he said feigning hurt. "I'm giving you a demonstration."

"Oh, well that's totally different then," he said sarcastically. "Please go on."

"I will-no more interruptions from the peanut gallery. Now where was I?"

"I believe it was step one jackass." Nero grinned.

"What did I say about interruptions?"

The younger hunter rolled his eyes. "Whatever…first you whip it out?" he prompted.

"Right! First I whip it out! Then I _thrust _it in, with every angle it penetrates." he started grabbing the swords and throwing them into the wall. Nero couldn't help the smile curling his lips as he watched the older man and all his reflections. His muscles working under his form-fitting black shirt, and no red trench coat to obscure his view.

"Until…I…_RAM_ it in," he smashed the last blade in to complete the heart and landed on the ground, a rose appearing in his mouth as he stood facing Nero. "In the end…we are all satisfied," he clapped his hands twice and the blades exploded, shattering the mirror. He took the flower from between his lips. "And you are set free." he tossed the rose to his partner who caught it effortlessly.

"That was some performance." he commented running his fingers over the velvet petals.

"Did you get the gist of it?" he asked making his way back over.

"If by gist you mean the fact that Lucifer is all about sex than yeah." he chuckled.

Dante lightly grinned. "Did I get your hormones pumping kid?"

"Even if you did, you killed that party, it's not safe here, remember?"

"Well…nothing has come out to kill us in the last fifteen minutes we've been here."

"But isn't the hellgate open? We shouldn't be messing around." he lightly blushed as Dante continued his approach and sat down next to him.

"I got Trish and Lady taking care of it, and time in the demon world moves slower than in the human."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, it sure has seemed like time's slowed down." he winked.

Nero hesitated before shaking his head. "No. We don't have time," he hauled himself to his feet after moving off of Dante's coat. "Let me practice with Lucifer and get the hang of it."

The older slayer sighed, but handed over the devil arm deciding to stay out of the way so that Nero wouldn't accidentally hit him while practicing.

* * *

Nero was pretty good when it came to actually using Lucifer. Getting the wings to open and drop swords into his palms he'd learned by simply watching the older male's posture when he used the thing so much. He could throw straight, as well as predict complex angles. (1)

Dante sat back out of the way and watched how the kid took the devil arm and improvised a style completely his own, separate from the one Dante himself used. Nero threw his whole body into fighting, twisting, bending, kicking and punching. The kid would never go down without fighting, and as long as he had that arm and could react quickly it would be a pretty even fight.

Nero snapped the fingers of his left hand causing the last set of swords he'd thrown to explode. Then he turned back to his older counterpart.

"I think I've got it."

"Looks like you do." Dante agreed, standing up and pulling the charred and torn remains of his beloved trench coat back on.

"Then let's kick this guy's ass and go home, I'm sick of this place." the younger male declared as he stepped back into the elevator, pulling the screen shut.

"We're on level seven right so level eight-"

Nero quickly caught his hand before he could press the button. "Not level eight." he stated, feeling his face pale slightly just remembering the creature that was there.

Dante quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "If I didn't know any better kid, I'd say you were _scared."_

"I'm not scared!" he defended vehemently with a glare. "I just don't think we need to go there and fight something extra. It's level nine where Vinkus is." he stated slamming down the circular button himself before folding his arms and leaning on the back wall, his eyes still narrowed.

Dante leaned back next to him. "You mad at me or Vinkus?"

He sighed. "Vinkus." he grumbled.

The older male grinned putting an arm over his shoulders. "We'll take care of him soon."

Nero grinned darkly. "You bet your ass we will."

The younger devil hunter faltered when the elevator stopped, looking out the grate at the jungle that had taken the place of the stone corridors he'd wandered in order to escape the plant demon.

"Shit…" he whispered, double checking that this was floor nine and lightly groaning when he realized it was. "Guess Vinkus did some redecorating while I was gone." he pulled the grate open with a screech and Dante took the first step out, his partner following quickly behind him.

"Well, this place looks like fun." Dante muttered.

"Oh, it's a barrel of laughs." Nero grumbled sarcastically, keeping an eye out for anything strange as well as trying to figure out if Vinkus could have changed the layout of the maze…not that he'd be finding his way without his trail anyway.

"So where do we go?"

"This place was a maze before, assuming it still is we walk and guess."

Dante nodded and they continued forward in silence for a few more steps until Dante inhaled sharply his feet flying out from under him as he was pulled down the corridor.

"Dante!" Nero shot out his devil bringer, and caught the older male's left hand, holding tightly onto it as the vine wrapped around both his ankles tried to drag him away.

The older hunter let out a quiet sigh of relief before unsheathing Rebellion and slicing the vine off him, falling onto the ground. "I see what you mean about this place." he muttered pulling the vine off him before standing and brushing himself off.

"I told you, it's a barrel full of laughs." he mumbled venomously.

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(1) I take this from the first scene in the game where he impales Dante with Rebellion as well as when he throws the giant sword at Dante's face-he's good at throwing straight, he also does a bunch of other puzzles and rooms where he has to figure out angles I'm pretty sure so I think he'd do alright with Lucifer.

So the two are getting ever closer to Vinkus :3 Leave me a review! They act like an antidote to my dying muse! Don't let her die! XD Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 5, 2010


	15. Chapter 15 Blitz

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 15

xXC-loudxS-trifeXx: Glad I could cure your weekend boredom! I liked the part with Dante teaching Lucifer too, it was really fun to write and everything :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yeah, Nero using Lucifer is going to be fun to write, it is too bad that he doesn't get more weapons in the game. Don't worry, Vinkus has penty of things in store for our favorite boys muahaha! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I'm sure that Dante would rather 'ram it in' Nero too XD He'll get his chance. The monster on level eight will also have its chance. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: I was laughing quite a bit when I wrote the part with Lucifer ;3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: I did put in the part from the actual Lucifer cutscene, it's awesome! I liked making Nero interrupt too, it was awesome :3 Nero is terrified of level eight-I'd be afraid of it too! Vinkus just redecorated level 9, it is the same maze just covered in foliage now. Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Glad you liked Lucifer :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Kendecia: Here's moar! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: It's okay-I know how moving can do nasty things to internet connections XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Whew! I'm starting to get behind on this story, for most of it I've been 3 chapters ahead-I just finished chapter 16 yesterday! ACK! Anyway, WARNING this chapter contains graphic yaoi-man on man action. I know you're thinking 'What? How does THAT happen! ?' Trust me there's a reason XD I do not own Dante, Nero or Devil May Cry! Enjoy!

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Dante sighed irritably as they hit a third dead end in the maze, huge red flower blossoms surrounding them on nearly all sides.

"Okay, I am already tired of this game. Hide and seek has never been one of my favorites."

"Tell me about it," Nero scoffed. "I think I've wasted a year of my life in this place." he tapped one of the closed flowers with a claw. He gasped as it sprung open and he quickly turned his head away from the explosion of pollen.

"Damn it kid! Don't touch anything!" Dante snapped.

Nero put a hand to his head, feeling his blood flowing south. "Ohh damn." he mumbled.

"What's wrong?"

"I think the pollen-" he swore as he hit another flower causing it to open. Dante ran over and grabbed his arm to steady the young male so he wouldn't run into any more. Nero leaned onto his sturdy frame.

"The pollen?" he prompted.

"It's turning me on." he purred his tongue flicking out to taste the sliver of skin exposed above the zipper of the older slayer's shirt.

Dante growled softly, realizing the strange chemical was starting to have an effect on him too. "Damn, this is so not the right place or time."

"Is there ever a right place and time?" he asked lightly biting on his lover's neck.

"Hold on." his breath hitched as Nero grabbed his hip and ground against him. He snarled, "Damn it, you know I love it when you're aggressive but give me a second here."

"I can't. I need you-_now._" he rumbled, pouncing on the older man, knocking them both to the ground.

"Nero!" he warned flipping them over, straddling his hips. The younger whined, arching up, frustrated with his ability to be subdued so quickly, but too wracked with desire to care very much.

"Dante…"

The older hunter ignored him for the moment opting instead to snap his fingers, summoning his shadow, who rose from the ground behind him.

"Go keep a lookout, make sure to keep demons away." he said, making a gesture with his thumb and his doppelganger took off. He quickly yanked off Frostbite letting it fall in the grass of the surrounding area. After that he turned back to his partner, his own pupils dilated with lust.

"Dante," he whispered, his back arcing off the ground. "Oh God," he shuttered as the older male unfastened his pants, even the mild friction making shivers travel up his spine.

"I really do prefer Dante." he grinned, sliding the younger's pants off.

"A-asshole." he growled grabbing Dante's shoulder and throwing him off, getting on top of him and tearing off his pants.

"Easy on the leather kid those are the only pants I got here." the older male was still in control enough to banter, but he could tell that his partner was starting to lose it.

The younger half-devil ignored it, choosing instead to yank down the zipper of Dante's shirt, laying kisses and nips to the toned flesh. Dante found himself giving soft gasps and moans, the aphrodisiac the plants were giving off making him more sensitive. His fingers threaded through Nero's silver hair and pulled him up to kiss him passionately, nipping at each other's lips and drawing blood that their tongues eagerly flicked out to taste.

Dante reached down with one hand to the elastic of the kid's boxers, pulling it back and down to expose the younger's aching member, before wrapping his fingers around it and slowly stroking him.

Nero gasped and moaned, grabbing Dante's boxers and yanking them off. The older male grunted at the action.

"Mn, just fuck me Nero." he ground out.

The younger male licked his lips and kicked his own underwear off. There was no need to tell him twice. He situated himself between Dante's legs and pushed into him. The older devil groaned and bucked up, loving the sweet mixture of pain and pleasure. Nero growled and realizing he had his partner's approval started a brutal pace. Dante grunted as he was fucked senseless, moans falling easily from his lips once his younger counterpart found the bundle of nerves inside him and continued to pound into it with every thrust.

"Nero-ah, Nero!" he moaned breathily.

The younger devil all but purred. "Dante-say it again."

He managed a slight smirk. "N-Nero," The grin slipped from his features however when the younger wrapped his hand around his throbbing member, stroking it in time with his own movements. Both could feel their ends approaching.

"I'm not going to-last-much longer." Nero panted.

"Ah-me too it's these d-AH-mn flowers!" the older devil moaned, heat coiling tighter and tighter in his belly as Nero continued sliding in and out of him, nailing his prostate with each thrust.

Dante closed his eyes trying to last as long as possible, after a few more powerful thrusts he felt Nero come inside him with a hiss of pleasure, the younger man's hot seed spilling into him. His own orgasm hit him like an avalanche a moment later, his essence covering himself as well as Nero's hand.

The younger male collapsed onto the grass as the aphrodisiac wore off, swiping his hand on the foliage to remove the stickiness. Dante wiped off his chest before following the kid's example, realizing after a second that something was off. It felt as if a synapse in his mind had snapped; his shadow must've been destroyed.

"Shit." he hissed, grabbing his pants and quickly yanking them on. "Nero, get dressed. We've got company."

Nero frowned before sitting up to locate and grab his jeans. He started putting them on, when he heard a faint crackling sound, his eyes widened and he gasped softly. The older man looked over at the noise.

"What?"

"I forgot about them-they-There's three Blitz in this place but I didn't think they'd leave the area they were in!" he hissed.

"_Three_? Well this ought to be fun. There is not enough room to fight a Blitz here." he stated, making sure that his gauntlets were in place.

Nero looked around at the red flowers still surrounding them, most of them unopened. "This is-" he was cut off by a loud roar causing him to draw Ebony, Dante pulling out her twin.

"We should try to avoid these flowers." the younger male commented.

"I don't think that's gonna be an option." his partner responded with a smirk. "Let's do what we gotta do and we'll worry about the side effects later."

Nero nodded, charging some of his energy into Ebony so when the Blitz showed up they could hopefully break its energy field in a few seconds. A thought hit him a moment later.

"Hey, do you think these flowers will affect the Blitz?"

"…Let's hope not. The last thing we need on our hands in a horny demon."

"Agre-" Nero cut off with a gasp as the Blitz suddenly appeared out of thin air landing and giving a bellowing roar at the two devil hunters. Both fired the powered up twin guns hoping that they'd be able to break its lightning shield, and finding it wasn't quite enough. The demon charged and the two dodged to the side, holding their breath as they crashed through the flowers, wanting to hold off any response they might have to the pollen by inhaling as little as possible.

The particles the flowers ejected caused a bright yellow cloud in the air that hit the Blitz making it roar in anger, the lightning around it turning blue. The two slayers managed to get to their feet behind the monster and frowned.

"That answer your question kid?" Dante asked flatly as the demon turned back towards them.

"I've never seen it turn blue-"

"Yeah, probably never had a reason to turn blue."

"Fuck." The younger half-devil returned to firing with Ebony.

"Use Lucifer-it's a projectile and it does more damage!" Dante dodged out of the way once again as the demon shot lightning at him.

"Oh-right." Nero holstered the black gun and grabbed as many of Lucifer's swords in his hands as he could as he backed up. The demon seemed to take an interest in him and followed slowly, being led by the sound of his footsteps or his scent.

The older demon hunter couldn't help but laugh. "I think _it_ thinks you're being coy kid."

Nero blushed. "Damn it! What is it with demons always taking sexual interest in _me! ?_" he wasn't able to get an answer as the Blitz rushed him and Nero threw all the swords in his hands, hitting the creature in the face and twisting to run past the demon back towards Dante, hoping it would be distracted. Unfortunately, the space was working against him and when the Blitz thrashed it knocked into the kid zapping him with a bolt of lightning and making him crash land into another pile of flowers.

Dante ran towards his downed partner but the demon shot up to him thorough a bolt of lightning lashing out with its claws. The demon hunter jumped back firing with Ivory.

"Come on kid! Get up! You need to make those blades explode!"

Nero heard the older male's commands, but couldn't find the brain power to decipher their meaning. The pollen from the flowers he'd landed in was going right to his head and the lightning shooting through his body set his remaining wounds afire. All of his senses were distracted by lust or pain.

* * *

So the two are in a bit of a sticky situation, Dante is ill equipped to take on the Blitz on his own and Nero is basically got sensory overload. This ought to be fun right! Leave me some reviews! :3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 9, 2010 (OMG it's only 10 days until my birthday D: )


	16. Chapter 16 Garden of Eden

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 16

xXC-loudxS-trifeXx: Glad I could help cure your boredom again XD I hope you are feeling better though! I'm glad that you liked the chapter, and I love your word 'ass-kickery' XD Sorry about the cliffy, but here's the next part! Thanks for the birthday wishes! *gives birthday cake*

SirenaLoreley: I think the flowers are awesome XD and with the sensory overload I feel bad for Nero he's basically rendered immobile from pain and pleasure at the same time-that aren't being caused by Dante XD Thanks for reviewing *gives birthday cake*

Kendecia: I meant for the last chapter to seem like it ended abruptly, it was the desired effect, so I hope you're not too upset about it! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives birthday cake*

Pushka: I needed some way to get the guys to have sex! Why not hormone spewing flowers? XD j/k I just thought it would be interesting to see what would happen XD I think Dante would be more jealous if Nero actually did something other than kill demons for 'flirting' with him XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives birthday cake*

PayingInNaivety: Yep, no room and lots of pollen in the air, what are two devil hunters to do? Glad I could keep you on the edge of your seat XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives birthday cake*

CommanderRatchet57: I hate Blitz too and I've never played against them before! XD I like uke Dante occasionally too XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives birthday cake*

TheRealAkuRoku: Glad you haven't disappeared! Thanks for the review! *gives birthday cake*

-Kor-chan-: They did have sex in the middle of the maze XD I think Vinkus would be jealous if he saw them XD Everyone wants a piece of Nero and Dante just finds it hilarous until maybe Nero starts showing interest in another demon and then he'd have to kick their ass! Thanks for reviewing! *gives birthday cake*

Honeyberries: Nero Dante and a horny Blitz XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives birthday cake*

My birthday is next Sunday, so everyone gets birthday cake for reading! XD I don't own Dante or Nero! Enjoy!

* * *

Dante realized his partner wasn't going to be helping him anytime soon with that crash landing he'd taken into the flowers and continued firing his prized right hand gun. The electricity of the Blitz was literally inches from his face causing his hair to stand on end due to the static.

The devil slayer was barely able to twist himself out of the way as the Blitz's claws scraped past his ribs trying to impale him and got stuck in the wall. Dante got away from the dead end around to the back of the demon and continued shooting as he made his way backwards to his partner.

Nero pulled himself away from the flowers, feeling like he was choking on the pollen. He was weak as a kitten, the blades of grass tickling his forearms seemed to scour his frame with pleasure. He frowned as the smell of blood tickled at his nose-Dante's blood. He rubbed at his eyes trying to get rid of the blurriness. Once his sight had cleared up slightly he saw the Blitz's back as well as Dante's tattered coat. His cloudy mind started to clear, returning to more coherent thoughts.

'_That thing is dangerous…Dante is near it, and hurt again. I need to do something! Pull yourself together!'_ he thought dragging himself to his feet. He clapped his hands together to remove the flower dust and when he did the swords belonging to Lucifer, still stuck in the demon started to explode, thus ridding the demon of his electric shield.

Dante glanced over to see his partner standing on wobbly feet, but figured that now was the time to attack the beast. He holstered Ivory in favor of Rebellion, and set to work. Cutting and stabbing with a fluid grace that could only belong to the Son of Sparda. He ducked just in time as the Blitz ripped it's clawed hand free of the wall, taking out a chunk of concrete and whipping it over Dante's head and leaving a sizable hole in the wall.

The devil hunter laughed. "Guess you can do some damage to this place-huh?"

The Blitz roared angrily, swinging at him wildly as it fizzled, a red light starting to pulse from it. Dante continued to grin and bait it.

"Dante, watch out!" Nero managed, he was still struggling to hold his footing but he could see the oncoming signs that the Blitz was about to explode and it would grab whatever it could before it went. However he shouldn't have been so concerned about his older counterpart. The demon heard his shout and bolted towards the young hunter.

"Kid!" Dante followed after the demon, trying to get to Nero before it did. "Get down!" he snapped.

The young slayer gasped as he stumbled backwards, the Blitz barely missing him as he fell on his ass, knocking some more sense into him he laid down and rolled out of the way. The demon flashed and sputtered. Dante caught up and pulled the kid off the ground by his arm, dragging him around the mouth of the dead end and holding him against his chest as the creature exploded.

"You okay?" the older hunter mumbled, feeling his partner relaxing against him.

"S-sorry." he muttered. "I…fucked up."

"We're still here aren't we? Relax kid. We all make mistakes. Take a tip from your elder though and when you're about to collapse look out for yourself." he grinned.

Nero pressed himself close to the older man. "I inhaled a lot more of that pollen." he admitted, feeling his cheeks burning.

Dante lightly smirked. "Well, I guess we'll have to do something about that before we continue on our way." he stated before kissing the younger man.

* * *

Both slayers laid panting in the grass after their sec-no it was the third session of the day. Nero's azure eyes fell closed, he was just so tired from fighting, running, getting beat up and healing-not to mention the sex. It was all taking it's toll and he was sucked down into the warm abyss of sleep.

Dante cracked one of his eyes open to see his partner out cold and lightly chuckled. "You certainly have some bad timing kid." he sighed as he pulled his own pants back on. He turned to Nero and gently zipped up his hoodie, redressing him as well. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to rest for awhile. He'd taken care of all the demons on the first floor so they hopefully weren't still pouring out of the hell gate he'd opened.

Besides, if he let Nero continue as they were the kid was liable to screw up big time with Vinkus when emotions were running high, after that little mistake with the Blitz, he wasn't in the mood to have Nero in too much more danger for one day. He lightly shook his head, after the time they'd spent literally fucking around he couldn't waste any more of it sitting around.

A power nap would do Nero some good though, so he decided to let him sleep, sliding his arms under the younger slayer and picking him up bridal style. Nero shifted so that his face rested at the crook of the older man's neck, making Dante lightly grin and nuzzle his hair before setting out into the maze once again, dead set on finding Vinkus before something else in this maze found them.

* * *

Dante was starting to feel like he was actually making some progress seeing as he hadn't hit a dead end for about ten minutes. The fauna had changed around him as he walked as well going from the hormone spewing red flowers to some dark blue lily shaped blossoms, with black ribbed petals. He was watching out for the plants now, after all Vinkus had to have created the things and they were probably here for some reason other than the fact they looked pretty.

It was a good thing he was paying attention too because when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye he didn't think, just quickly sidestepped and saw something whiz past him. He frowned and took a closer look, finding what looked like poison darts sticking out of another flower said bloom turning black at an alarming rate.

'_You have got to be shitting me.'_ he thought, he needed to get out of this area or either he or the kid was liable to get hit by one of those things, and he'd really prefer not to see what it would do to flesh. He caught the flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye again and bolted forward, dodging the darts as he went. He felt a few fly past his ear.

'_Well, their aim is improving, not such a good thing for me though.' _the devil slayer ducked to the left around the next bend in the maze, softly sighing in relief when there were no more flowers. He felt the kid shift in his grasp and looked down to meet the hazy azure orbs looking up at him.

"Welcome back, feeling better kid?" he gave a lopsided smile.

Nero nodded his head sleepily and lightly yawned. "What time is it?"

"Well, you've only been sleeping about twenty minutes if that's what you're asking. If you want me to guess what time it actually is, it's probably around nine pm."

The younger male lightly sighed and nodded again. "Put me down."

Dante did as he was told and set his partner back onto his feet, watching as the younger male stretched his arms back above his head, looking around with a soft frown on his lips. They were at a junction of the maze it went right, or kept going straight. Nero tilted his head, closing his eyes he was able to faintly hear the beating of wings and the occasional screech from the path in front of them.

"I remember this part of the maze." he mumbled.

"Does that mean you remember where to go?"

"Yeah. I came to this spot four or five times. Vinkus is just ahead. Just follow the curves in the path and we'll be to him in just a few minutes." he stated, a smirk gracing his features, as he headed down the path to the right of them.

* * *

The final battle is just ahead, how it will go, not even I know yet. I haven't written the next chapter so it may be a little while before I actually get it up. My doggie is sick, so I might be a little further behind because of that too. Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 13, 2010


	17. Chapter 17 Jumping Through Hoops

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 17

Silent Deathbringer: Thanks for the birthday wishes! :3 I can't believe I'm going to be twenty! D8 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: I'm not sure which one of the flowers is worse either XD Thanks for the encouragement and the review! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Thanks for the birthday wishes, and the review! *gives cookies*

Paying in Naivety: Final battle is here! I'm excited about it too :3 Thanks for the review! *gives cookies*

Pushka: Dante's hair I'm sure could do amazing things under the influence of static! XD Super Saien Dante would crack me up! I felt bad for Nero being so overloaded that any touch-even from the grass- sufficed to turn him on. I might write that lemon as a short stand alone, but I just though 2 lemons in 2 chapters that are suppose to be more actiony was overkill XD Nero barely was able to register 'Blitz right in front of me-MOVE' XD the flowers with the poison darts would have been bad if they had hit either of the boys, good thing they didn't! Thanks for the birthday wishes and the review! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: They did have sex again in the maze XD Dante carrying Nero is always a sweet thing. My favorite cake? I like marble, it's vanilla with chocolate swirled through it, it's the best of both worlds! :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Honeyberries: I wish I could give my doggie some Dante power-she'd be like amazing then XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Kendecia: Nero does have quite a bit of stamina XD The reason Nero slept for 20 minutes is because that is the optimum time for a nap-you feel rested but not drowsy like you would sleeping for longer. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

xXC-loudxS-trifeXx: Glad you liked the chapter and I hope your teacher never finds out about it either XD That would be embarrassing. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: I hope my dog gets better too. Thanks for reviewing!*gives cookies*

Britt601: I get what you mean about Poison Ivy XD She was scary though 0.0; I actually got the idea for the poison dart flowers from Jumanji, so glad you caught the reference XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I don't own Dante or Nero, enjoy!

* * *

The two hunters arrived at the door after only a few minutes as Nero had promised.

"This is it." the younger grumbled.

"Good." Dante grinned, stepping forward and forcefully kicking down the door.

"Show off." Nero shook his head, following the red-clad devil into the room.

Vinkus had obviously been busy since the kid had escaped as the room had increased massively in size. Before it had barely been big enough to hold the bed Nero had been lying on and now it seemed nearly as cavernous as level eight. It was also surrounded in flowers and other greenery. Vinkus was sitting in the middle of the room, his eyes closed and a slight smile on his face.

"So you finally made it."

"Didn't seem like you wanted me to. You too weak to take me head on? Would have taken much less time, and I would've been a lot less pissed off if you'd just let me kick your ass from the get-go." Dante stated.

"What fun would that have been?"

"Oh, we're gonna have fun now." Nero promised hitting his hand with his demonic fist.

The demon cracked open one eye and grinned. "So you made it back in one piece too did you?"

"Obviously." the young man deadpanned.

"Now, I've had enough jumping through hoops. Let's get down to the main event." Dante grinned, holding out his arms to show off Frostbite. Nero followed suit only when he did Lucifer's wings popped open behind him.

"Jumping through hoops you say? Not a bad idea." Vinkus commented, quickly getting onto his feet and holding out his hands vines in the forms of large circles appeared and started towards the two hunters.

"More vines and flowers? If you don't have anything better than that this is going to be child's play." Nero snorted, taking a step forward, intent on following Dante as the older hunter laughed and ran forward slicing into the hoops with his gauntlets, freezing the plants to the core and making them brittle and harmless.

"I have much more up my sleeves, figuratively speaking of course, but there is a reason why you should let the big boys play." the demon's eyes flashed with crimson and Nero quickly looked down just in time to dodge a vine trying to hook his foot. He backpedaled and slashed it with one of Lucifer's blades.

"Fuck no I'm not falling for that again!"

He gasped however when he felt the thorny vines all around him, wrapping around his torso and yanking him back until he smashed into a side wall. He roared in pain and anger as the thorns painfully dug into him. "UGH! FUCK YOU!"

"Kid?" Dante glanced back to see what was going on, and gasped when he saw his partner covered and becoming encased with the vines. He felt something slice across his cheek and turned back to his opponent with a glare blood dripping down the small cut. "Let him go."

"I hear you like wagers, let's make him the prize." Vinkus grinned holding a whip-like vine in his hand.

"Nero isn't a prize to be won." Oh, his devil side would like to disagree to that, the kid was helpless at the moment, this demon was threatening him and Vinkus would be destroyed before the demon slayer claimed his 'prize.' "He's mine."

"Well in either case your 'kid' will belong to whoever wins this fight, no?"

"You're going to seriously regret this." Dante snarled as he lunged.

* * *

Nero struggled as vines grew out in another layer around him so he could no longer see the fight happening between the asshole demon that wanted to fuck him and the other asshole that he happened to actually give a damn about. He tried desperately to pull his devil bringer free and even that wasn't working.

"Shit." he hissed looking around for some way to escape when he remembered something important- "Oren! Get your ass out here!" he snapped his fingers to the best of his ability and his bringer gave off a soft reddish glow before his reflection showed up.

'_Getting yourself kidnapped again, master?' _he smirked.

"Shut up and get me free!" he glowered.

Oren nodded and a reverse copy of Lucifer opened on his back dropping crackling blue swords into his hands. He quickly sliced his lighter half free of the vines, taking care not to slice the half devil's softer flesh. Nero picked out a few of the thorny vines but couldn't be bothered to get rid of all of them at the moment

"You want your revenge on Vinkus? He's right behind these fucking plants, so let's get loose and kick some ass." Nero stated reaching out with the ghostly apparition of his arm and tearing a hole into the wall keeping him from Dante and Vinkus.

Nero saw the two fighting as blurs they moved so quickly, his demonic eyesight was enough that he could make out for the most part what they were doing. Vinkus had produced a sword made of a glassy black material that looked like obsidian to take on Dante's Rebellion. He was going to need a lot more than that to defeat all three of them. Before Nero could blink however the demon seemed to make materialize a smaller blade the same style as the one he was using and his left hand shot forward the dagger sinking into Dante's chest.

"Dante!" Nero sprinted forward, releasing a battle cry as he pulled back his fist, a larger ghostly one accompanying it and he drove it into the demon's face sending him flying, his back coming into the wall behind him. "Oren go!"

The reflection grinned and ran forward after the demon leaving Nero to look over Dante. The older hunter had pulled the dagger out of his flesh and thrown it to the ground, the slice swiftly starting to heal.

"You-" Dante began.

"-okay?" Nero finished.

"Good. Let's kill this guy." the older slayer activated his devil trigger and took off after Oren, Nero close behind.

They reached the demons and found that Oren had inflicted only minimal damage on the ruler of this crazy hell dimension, and had taken heavy injury himself.

"I'll take it from here." Dante grinned as he cut in, slashing with his Frostbite strengthened claws. Vinkus twisted to block the maneuver with his blade, hissing as one of Lucifer's swords scraped his side a few more flying past before there was a snap and the blades exploded. The demon quickly stepped back.

"You ready? Seems like the tables are finally tilted in our favor." Nero said cockily a few more of Lucifer's blades in his hand. Oren had disappeared, but he was there should the young slayer need him again.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Vinkus grinned his arms turned into thick vines and tossed the two devil hunters away from him. Dante did a back flip, landing on his feet and Nero took a short tumble before getting his hand on the ground to right himself. They glanced at each other before looking up and blinking at Vinkus's true form.

* * *

Not sure what's going on with my pup, she has a lump in her abdomen, assuming her tests come back okay she'll have to have surgery with a 2 week recovery time. So I'm hoping that her tests come back okay. I have been busy writing for you guys though :3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 17, 2010


	18. Chapter 18 Sticky Situation

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 18

Kendecia: Glad you like-and actually my dog isn't really a puppy, she's 12, but she'll always be my puppy dog :3 Her lump though isn't cancerous so that's a load off my mind! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: I like the dark sides for Dante and Nero, if you think about them with some of their own will they're pretty awesome! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: Yeah, killing Vinkus right off the bat would be way too easy. The boys are going to have to work their butts off to get rid of this demon! You're actually the second person to connect Vinkus and Poison Ivy from Batman and Robin XD I think that's actually pretty funny! Thanks for reviewing!*gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Tests came back good for my doggie. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: Glad you liked the chapter and I'm glad you're feeling better! I think I'm starting to come down with something myself! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I love a protective seme :3 So adorable, but I figure that Nero has had enough playing the dude-in-distress/gambling piece XD I really liked the line where he refers to both Vinkus as an asshole and Dante as the asshole he actually cares about XD I'm not sure if Vinkus's final form is sexy, he is a demon, but you can make that call yourself XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Honeyberries: Don't know if Vinkus's true form is kinky XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Yeah, marble cake is really yummy :3 Vinkus doesn't quite look like Arkham, or a fairy XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Okay, thanks for reading everyone! I also wanted to say that my dog's tests came back and she got her surgery to have the lump removed and it wasn't cancerous! So, she's gonna have a two week recovery, but other than that, she should be fine :3 Thank you all for your kind support!

I do not own Dante or Nero! Enjoy!

* * *

Vinkus hardly looked human anymore. He was a massive collection of vines seeming to protect a bark covered skeleton. Shining red eyes shone out near the top.

Nero frowned and quirked an eyebrow, "Man…I would hate to see what your babies look like."

"What do ya say kid, think it's time to give this overgrown shrub a trim?" Dante grinned, still holding onto his devil trigger.

The younger slayer smirked and nodded. He drew Ebony from her holster and held his bringer at the ready. He missed Red Queen, if he had her he could have incinerated this bastard by now.

Nero opened fire as Dante drove forward, slashing at the vines reaching for him with Frostbite. Wherever the frosty gauntlets struck, the plants started to freeze, the damage going all the way up to the main body before cracking off entirely. This left parts of the tree-like skeleton naked.

Dante grinned when his devil trigger wore off. "Hey kid! Get in there!"

Nero's smirk matched his partner's as he holstered Ebony and snatched the exposed bark with his demonic hand, with his left he grabbed one of Lucifer's blades and drove it into Vinkus. The demon roared angrily and Nero saw some of the vines reaching out for him again. This he took as his cue to get the hell out of Dodge and jumped backwards, giving a soft growl as he landed and the thorns attached to the plants he'd neglected to remove dug into his skin. He pitched a few more of Lucifer's swords into the uncovered bark before snapping his fingers to make them explode.

He stumbled back with a snarl tearing the vines out of his skin. It made him bleed, but not horribly so, and it would be better if Vinkus couldn't control things directly on his body. He glanced up just in time to see another spiny appendage hurdling towards him, giving him just enough time to leap and roll out of the way, drawing one of Lucifer's swords and using it to slice through the vine. He saw more coming towards him and gripped the hilt of the blade in his hand automatically trying to rev it.

He swore. He wasn't sure how to fight this thing while throwing projectiles so this would have to do. He couldn't see Dante anymore because he was on the other side of Vinkus. The teen glared.

"You want a piece of me? Come on!" he challenged.

* * *

Dante was holding up well enough on his end, but Vinkus was becoming more evasive, seeing as if he got hit with Frostbite more of him became exposed, so he adapted. Vinkus would fake the hunter out by using multiple vine decoys before striking with another. Dante had only gotten scraped by about three of the thorny growths, but he was getting more reckless. The kid was nowhere in sight and while he knew he could take care of himself, he was worried.

The hunter landed roughly on his feet, skidding to a stop and smirking. "I'm getting a little bored here, let's see a new trick."

He regretted those words just a second later as he felt his ankle grabbed in a vice like grip and pulled down into a hole in the ground by one of the demon's roots. He hissed as his right leg was pulled under the earth, but not the rest of him, making him concerned about dislocating his leg.

"At first I was going to keep you as one of my little pets, but I wouldn't want to give my new toy any false hope you see?" Vinkus's voice held a smug smirk and Dante felt himself growling.

"I'm going to _shred_ your ass into compost!"

He dug his claws into the ground in front of him and started pushing the dirt out of the way, if he could get any part of the thing grabbing him exposed he could slice it off himself. Vinkus seemed to grin.

After a moment the half devil realized his mistake, the ground started to give way under him and if it gave way entirely he'd be dragged all the way underground! He'd be plant food! He thought fast, if he had enough power he'd have summoned his double, but he'd used up his devil trigger and hadn't gotten enough of it back to be of use.

He gasped as more of the dirt fell away making a larger hole. He didn't have many options.

"Ki-Nero!" Damn had he ever been in this sticky of a situation?

He pushed the thought from his head, whatever, he couldn't get out of this one alone, but he would have to hope that Nero was okay and could get to him. He grabbed Rebellion and slammed the blade into some of the solid earth, holding onto it so he couldn't be sucked down.

"The son of Sparda reduced to calling for his less than half demon partner for help?" Vinkus chuckled. "You underestimated my power."

Dante grit his teeth and his grip tightened on Rebellion's hilt as the demon tried harder to pull him down. _'Hurry kid, I don't think I'll last long.'_

* * *

Nero felt his stomach sink and his blood turn to ice as he heard Dante call out _his_ name and it wasn't in his normal taunting manner telling the kid to take it up a notch-this was…different. Dante was in trouble he just knew it.

The slayer looked around, what was the quickest way around the plant demon? Probably the same way he got to the side he was on now. Grab hold of the monster and bounce off to the other side. Unfortunately a mass of vines were in his way and didn't seem too excited about the thought of him getting past to get to the older hunter.

Nero's eyes filled with red and he grabbed as many of Lucifer's blades in his hands as he could, what Dante had said filling his head. _'First I whip it out…' _The young slayer crossed his arms over his body. _'Then I THRUST it in, with every angle, it penetrates.' _he threw all the blades as hard as he could into the many vines. _'Until I RAM it in.'_

He clapped his hands and the blades exploded blasting the plants apart and making a clear path through. _'In the end we are all satisfied.' _

He ran forward, reaching out with his devil bringer he grabbed the place closest to him with some of the bared bark so he could get a grip, using it to swing himself around the demon, letting go midflight and landing roughly, stumbling a step or two and looking up to see his partner's predicament.

"Dante!"

The older hunter looked over his shoulder and gave a slight smirk before it slid into a grimace.

What could he do? He gasped and quickly twisted out of the way of another vine. One thing was for sure, he couldn't do this on his own.

"Oren!"

He sighed softly with relief when his bringer shined red and the inverted double appeared, he seemed a bit weak, but he'd do.

"Damn, Vinky means business." the copy grumbled.

"Come here!" Nero snapped, running to his partner. "Just keep holding on okay?" he directed to the older slayer.

"Doing my best, kid." he breathed.

"Oren, grab hold of him, make sure he's not going anywhere."

"You got it boss." he said, grabbing hold of Dante's upper arms. Nero knelt on the ground near the place Dante had been digging himself out. He flexed his bringer, getting ready to plunge it into the earth to tear the root away from his lover.

He gasped and growled angrily as he was snatched around the waist and turned back towards Vinkus. Slashing with his bringer he managed to slice through the vine gripping him and dropped back to the ground. He quickly made his right hand as flat and compact as he could and smashed it into the soft earth. He hit something hard once his arm was in to about mid forearm. He grunted and forced his claws down into it, slicing as best he could with his talons-weakening the structure.

"Pull!" he snapped. Dante and Oren both pulled and gasped as the root gave way, allowing the older demon hunter to roll forward back onto his feet and his inverse self to disappear.

"Nice work kid." he smirked, brushing his pants off.

Nero pulled his hand out of the dirt and frowned at the red liquid covering it. Blood? Had Vinkus bled any other time?

Dante turned back towards his younger counterpart and his eyes widened as he drew Ivory and lunged for him. "Nero! Look out!"

* * *

Ha! Sorry, I had to leave this cliffhanger. Vinkus got a few new tricks, and he's not done yet! This chapter is a little longer to make up for the last chapter being so short!

I think I'm starting to come down with a cold or something, so hopefully it won't hinder my writing-or my school work. Look for the next update Friday, or over the weekend! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 21, 2010


	19. Chapter 19 Vinkus Fly Trap

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 19

Pushka: I'm glad you like Vinkus's demon form. I like putting Dante into trouble every once in awhile because it can't always be Nero! XD Nero was thinking about the way Dante taught him to use Lucifer, mostly because it was a way to focus and keep calm when he knew that Dante was in danger. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Honeyberries: Sorry for the cliffhanger-but you know you'll come back for more! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Vinkus is hard to destroy-he's the final boss after all! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Kendecia: I left it at a cliffhanger because it keeps people coming back for more of course! XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: I'm glad my dog is going to be okay too! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: Dante was almost in really big trouble! They keep going back and forth, Nero in danger, then Dante XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

TheRealAkuRoku: I know, everyone hates cliffhangers, but for some reason I love leaving people on them! Sorry about you being grounded! That sucks. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Vinkus's kids I think would freak me out! Vinkus's demon form is a little strange I think-I mean I just made it up off the top of my head. It's good they got to Dante before he got swallowed! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I know, I'm updating a tad early for two reasons 1 because I'm a nice person and I'll alleviating the horrible suspense of the cliffhanger and 2 I'm gonna be kinda busy the next two days so I'm not sure if I'll have time to update-so enjoy!

* * *

_Dante turned back towards his younger counterpart and his eyes widened as he drew Ivory and lunged for him. "Nero! Look out!"_

The kid whirled, expecting there to be another vine about to attack him, but he gasped sharply and tried to stumble back when he saw the inside of a purple flower opened before him like a gaping mouth lined with sharp spikes. Dante started shooting at it, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

The younger hunter cried out when the thing clamped around his left arm, the spines sinking in and making him bleed profusely. Nero dug in his heels and glanced over his shoulder.

"Dante-the roots! The roots are his weak point!" he called out grabbing one of Lucifer's blades with his right hand and using it to slice into the flower, trying to cut his arm free. He screamed when the thing pulled on him threatening to rend his flesh from the bone. Thankfully Dante ran over, Rebellion drawn and sliced the thing off Vinkus. With his bringer Nero was able to pry the trap open and get his arm out, but it was still bleeding heavily, some of his muscles severed and his movement of the appendage limited.

The kid pulled Ebony off his side with his right hand. "Dante, catch!"

The older male turned and caught the firearm coming at his head with a look of confusion. Nero cradled his human arm against his body with a grim look on his face.

"Let's wrap this party up."

Dante nodded, understanding the kid's meaning, he had to get down to work on the roots and if necessary Nero would provide cover. Nero's left arm was basically useless with a weapon now, so the younger male would have to rely on Lucifer as well as his bringer and dodging abilities. Ebony wouldn't do him much good.

Dante spun his twin handguns, smiling at their comforting weight, before turning them towards the ground and opening fire. Vinkus didn't seem to like this plan at all and lashed out with some more vines, only to be stopped by the younger male. Nero whipped out a few of Lucifer's blades, slicing through the vines before making the swords explode.

"Hey Vinkus! Give me some credit here! I got a bit of a score to settle with you!" he smirked as his bleeding slowed, the wounds starting to clot.

"I'll get to you, but you should have stayed where I put you-now get out of the way, before I have to hurt you again."

"Oh? But I'm right where I want to be." he spun one of the blades through his fingers , still listening for the gunshots behind him and tracking his partner's movement.

"That's big talk from a tiny half-breed." he hissed. Nero leapt gracefully out of the way of another Vinkus fly trap.

"That's some big talk for an overgrown fern." he shot back, grabbing hold of the flower with his ghostly arm and twisting the bud off.

Vinkus seemed to roar in anger, all of his vines coming to the ready. Nero managed to hold back a gasp as he grabbed a few of Lucifer's blades preparing for the worst. Only the demon didn't attack him, he started lifting out of the ground. The two hunters stumbled slightly, trying to get their footing as the floor beneath them rumbled and shook, roots slowly rising up until the earth cracked, revealing the long, pale strands.

The vines then struck out at Dante who had started attacking with Rebellion. Nero could only barely see his partner over the huge root that had come up between them, but the root on the other side of Dante was bleeding from some small circular holes where the older man had managed to shoot it with his twin guns.

Nero was sure that Dante could handle himself and set to work keeping himself out of trouble and drew as many of Lucifer's blades as he could while his left arm was still incapacitated. He took the swords and quickly threw them so they were impaled into the roots on either side of him drawing more and continuing the assault as he ran forward towards the main body.

Vinkus didn't ignore this and one of the roots lifted up making Nero inhale sharply, the rose from Lucifer appeared in his mouth and he quickly threw it up so that it hit one of the spears in the root trying to crush him. The flower met it's mark and started a chain reaction that made the swords blow up on either side of him the roots splitting and spilling the watery red blood all over the younger slayer. He held his breath, praying there wasn't enough of it to drown in. After a moment it washed away and he gasped for air.

"Ugh…that is just _nasty_." he complained, shaking his devil bringer off.

Dante looked over at the sound similar to rushing water, keeping the vines at bay with his trusty double-edged blade. "Nice work, kid!" he laughed.

"Oh shut u-" he stopped as Vinkus screamed, the roots thrashing violently as if trying to crush the two half-devils who both quickly dodged out of the way. The ground was shuttering under them again making it hard to keep their footing as they tried to keep away from the destructive appendages.

Dante frowned as he noticed the plant demon starting to shrink. "Keep it up kid-I think we're almost done here!" he called out.

Nero nodded, a look of concentration on his face as he tried to make his way out of danger. All the movement was bothering his arm, but he didn't have too long to think about it seeing as if he did he'd end up with a lot more injuries because he wouldn't get out of the way in time.

After a few more carefully placed dodges the roots were too small to be a viable threat and the two demon hunters moved forward towards their target. A sadistic grin spread across Nero's face and Dante smirked, resting Rebellion on his shoulder.

"Ready to give up the ghost?" the older slayer asked as they approached. Vinkus had returned to his human looking form, but he was covered now in cuts all bleeding his watered down blood. He really seemed in bad shape, but neither of the devil slayers could come up with any pity for the guy seeing as they looked worse than he did.

Vinkus stood up with a glower, his eyes flashing red as he held a gaping wound in his side. "Never!" he lunged towards the son of Sparda stopping short when he almost impaled himself on Rebellion. Dante snapped his fingers and his doppelganger appeared pointing his sword at the demon as well. Oren surfaced just afterwards grinning smugly as he twirled a blue blade in his hand.

"It's over Vinkus, there's no way to beat us now. The only question left unanswered is how we're going to kill you." Nero stated, cradling his left arm with his devil bringer so the flesh and muscles would mend correctly.

"What do you think kid? Decapitation, gut him, or you want to cut him into compost?" Dante asked smoothly.

The younger male thought it over for a moment before smirking. "I got a better idea." he leaned over to whisper in the red-clad hunter's ear. A smirk slowly formed on Dante's face.

"We could do that."

* * *

And I bring to you another short! This one is related to the one in chapter 13 if you'll remember it XD It was the one about Dante telling 2 truths and a lie. So if you don't remember it, go back a few clicks and refresh your memory-the short isn't going anywhere XD

-Nero glanced up from his place on the couch as Lady strut into the shop. He slowly looked over to the older man who was sleeping at his desk like usual, feet up and a magazine over his face.

"Hello there boys." she said, shifting the strap to Katalina Ann on her shoulder before removing it, resting it against a relatively clean portion of the wall. "You guys ready to get your asses handed to you in a game of pool?"

"Trish isn't here yet," Nero said casually as he stood up and stretched, making his way over to her. The movement was enough to perk up the older hunter who peeked out from under the dirty magazine. "Though, there has been something I've been meaning to ask you Lady…Dante and I were playing a game the other day and I was wondering if you could clear something up-"

"No, I've never had sex with Dante." she said sharply, throwing a glare at the devil hunter.

Nero chuckled. "No, not that, I already know that. When you first met Dante-"

The older male flew out of his seat. "No, kid, really-" he was cut off as his younger lover shot a glower in his direction for being interrupted. "Eh…"

"Did Dante like you when you first met?"

Lady laughed. "Dante? Please. He sure thought that I was interested in him though even though I kept shooting him in the head."

Nero looked over, his eyes flashing red.

"Oh shit…" Dante muttered. "Eh…come on kid-Nero, I was just kidding. It was just a game-fuck!" the older male started running as Nero came towards him, his bringer clenched in a fist.

Trish walked in. "Alright let's play some-…" she stopped as she watched Nero chasing Dante around the room yelling something about his obsession with pizza being unhealthy, Dante swearing and saying he was only kidding and Lady was sitting on the pool table giggling.

"What's going on?" she asked the brunette.

"I have no idea, but it's fucking hilarious."-

XD oh Dante, the messes you get yourself into. Hope you guys liked! Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 23, 2010


	20. Chapter 20 Stick a BandAid On It

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 20

Ninjafox-yoko: Glad you liked the story and thanks for the idea ;3 I'll get back to you at the end of the chapter. Thanks for reviewing! *Gives cookies*

xDragon-Queenx: Sorry about the shortness of the chapter! This one is really long, so hopefully that helps! Thanks for reviewing! *Gives cookies*

Pushka: I'm glad you liked the fight, it was kind of difficult to write, but I really like the way it all worked out in the end :3 Dante and Nero are a perfect couple! I thought about Nero whispering something naughty to Dante at that part XD But no, he has an idea of what to do with Vinkus. I'm glad you enjoyed the short too. I've been planning on putting it in somewhere ever since I did the first short, but it kind of got put on the backburner for awhile. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Yep, they finally have Vinkus right where they want him! Oren and Dark Dante are standing in for support :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Honeyberries: You'll see what Nero has in store for Vinkus next! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Dante always gets himself into sticky situations-especially with Nero XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: You'll get to see what Nero has in store for Vinkus :3 It's very evil. Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: Yeah, the decapitation, gutting and slicing to smithereens are certainly the staple of demon hunting life XD Nero has a devious plot in mind for finishing off Vinkus :3 Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

I don't know if I'm 100% satisfied with how this chapter works out, there's quite a bit of fluffiness that I wanted to incorporate to make up for the lack of fluffiness in the rest of this story XD Hope you guys like!

* * *

Trish sighed softly as she leaned against the tree with the message scrawled on it to Dante, where the hunter had left Red Queen, which amazingly hadn't been hurt since it had been left there. Lady sat on the ground checking her guns and ammunition for the thirtieth time. Dusk had set over the human world the girls able to see due to a flashlight the brunette kept on her motorcycle.

"Nothing has come out of that gate in the last two hours…you think they're even still alive in there?" she asked, having to be the one to bring up the worst case scenario.

"I believe in Dante, he won't let anything happen." the demoness replied

"No he won't _let _anything like that happen, what if the situation was beyond their control?"

"If it was, then something bigger and badder than Dante would be coming out of that gate."

Lady snickered. "Can't think of anything worse than Dante."

Trish managed a wan smile. "We just have to give them a little more time. Dante called around five meaning he's been down there-"

"For five hours now. I'll give him until midnight."

"And then what? We find a way to close up the hellgate and possibly leave them both trapped down there?"

"No, then we go in after them."

Trish smirked. "Agreed."

"And until then…"

"We wait."

* * *

The two male devil hunters as well as their doppelgangers forced Vinkus off to the elevator on the other side of the place. Most of the flowers and plants had seemed to die, likely the plant demon wasn't strong enough to keep them alive in his state. Their dried corpses laid on the barren stone floor, littered with a few intact flowers in certain areas, like they had fallen off before the plant died.

Oren and dark Dante disappeared once they reached the elevator, there not being enough room in the lift for all of them. Nero grinned as he pushed the button for level eight.

"While your floors of fighting had their appeals the kid and I decided to skip a level." Dante informed.

"Most of the others seemed pretty gracious about getting back at you, so I wonder what kind of revenge this guy wants. He seemed pretty hungry when I came down here the first time and we should make sure he gets the vegetables in his diet." Nero smirked.

Vinkus seemed paler, but whether it was due to how much he was bleeding or because he was afraid, the hunters couldn't be sure.

"So what? You want me to grovel and beg for my life?"

"It would be nice." the younger answered.

"I beat all of the demons you fought today-and the one you didn't."

"I'm sure you weren't in such a weak state at the time you fought this thing." Nero grumbled.

"And besides, fighting probably won't be what the monster is interested in." the older hunter stated, waving a still closed, red flower blossom.

"That won't affect me." the plant demon growled.

"No…but it will probably affect the demon on this level." Nero stated as the elevator stopped and he pushed the metal grate open.

Dante whistled causing the red eye to open and a large toothy mouth to come into view. "Here Fido!" the older slayer tossed the flower into the room. The demon parted it's white teeth and a large red tongue rolled out to grab the flower and pull it back in it's mouth.

"Have fun." Nero shoved Vinkus inside and pulled the metal grid closed again. "Think of it this way Vinky, at least you'll probably get some before ya die. Sayonara!" he paused for a moment to watch the tentacles of darkness reach forth and wrap around the plant demon, sucking him into the void. A cry of pain was the only thing ripped from the demon's throat as his wounds were ignited from the movement.

Nero shook his head and hit the button for floor one. The elevator stalled as it had last time for a moment before starting to move down.

Dante looked over before smiling slightly. "Well, we're making it out of here alive and in-mostly one piece. How's your arm kid?" he asked as he walked closer, Nero leaning back on the side wall.

"It's healing." he answered simply, looking over at the scabbed over wound.

"Don't worry we're heading home now, we'll get all clean and patched up."

This caused the ghost of a smile on Nero's lips. "Yeah, this trip is finally over. Good thing too, without that adrenaline I feel like I'm about to collapse."

"You and me both kid." the younger male's smile widened a fraction as his lover lightly kissed him.

* * *

Both Trish and Lady stood and aimed their guns as they saw a red glow emitting from the hell gate, preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. What they saw made them crack smirks.

Dante and Nero stumbled out of the hell gate together, Nero's bringer over the older man's shoulders, his head resting against his arm. Both of them looked terrible. The girls looked both of their male counterparts over assessing the staggering amount of injury it seemed both of them had taken.

Nero was the most obviously worse for wear, his clothes would likely be going in the trash as soon as they got back, they were caked with dirt, grass stains as well as a watery red substance-not to mention missing buttons and filled with holes, bullet or otherwise. The younger slayer also had blood stains showing where previous wounds had been as well as the still visible damage from the thorns of the last battle and his injured left arm.

Dante was less wounded, most of his being able to heal, but his clothes were still full of tears, his crimson coat masking the bloodspots. His right pant leg was covered in mud and had a slice up the back. (1)

Lady whistled. "Damn Dante, you look worse than you did when you jumped out of that demon's eyeball covered in blood."

"Yeah, yeah. Can you just give me and the kid a hand here?"

The girls holstered their weapons and made their way over. Trish went to Dante's side and Lady hesitated near Nero, not sure how to help him without hitting one of his injuries.

The kid chuckled, "It's okay Lady, I'm fine. Just tired and I really want to go home and shower."

"Alright, let's get you two home then." Trish smiled.

"What about the gate?" the brunette asked.

"We can't do anything about it without Yamato. You have it with you Nero?"

"No, I left it at home. Never leaving without it again though."

"Okay, I guess we'll have to come back to get rid of the gate…you guys head back to the car. I'm going to take a look around here first." Trish said.

"My bike is the same direction, so I'll make sure neither of you two pass out or get lost in the woods." Lady stated, always worried about sounding too caring, even when they knew she did.

Despite Lady's concerns, the three made it to the car with little difficulty besides the engrossing darkness. Once they were able to break the tree line a streetlight near the road cast enough light for the three to see and Lady clicked off her flashlight as they walked to their respective vehicles. Dante helped his younger counterpart into the backseat first, trying to keep from jarring his left arm, before making his way to the other side of the car as Trish came out of the woods.

Lady was on her bike, waiting to start it as the demoness approached. "I don't think you guys should be by yourselves in case some more demons come poking around. I'll meet you back at the shop."

"Sure thing Lady." Dante said as Trish nodded silently before the human started up her bike and took off. The other two climbed in the car. The older half-demon handed over the keys, allowing the blonde to turn on the engine and turn down the rock music playing on the radio, before pulling back onto the road.

Dante glanced over to see Nero's eyelids starting to flag. He smiled slightly, hooking his arm around the young male's waist pulling him over across the seat. Nero managed a weak smile resting his head against the older man's shoulder as he cradled his wounded arm at his side.

Dante's fingers brushed through his hair. "Get some rest babe, you definitely deserve it." he murmured soothingly.

* * *

"Wake up you two. We're back." Dante's blue orbs blinked open, wondering when he had passed out as he heard Trish lightly prodding him. He rubbed his hand over his face and inhaled deeply before realizing Nero was still asleep against him. He nudged his lover's shoulder causing him to softly groan as he was brought around.

"Don't…" the rest was lost as Nero buried his face against Dante's shoulder.

The older male lightly chuckled and slid out of the car dragging his slumbering lover with him and pulling him into his arms before walking into the shop where Lady was waiting with some medical supplies she must have dug out of the bathroom cabinet.

"You two need to hop in the shower before we can do anything. I'm not sure what wounds are still open and which are just dried on junk." she stated hitching a thumb at the bathroom in the back.

"I'm okay. It's really just Nero's arm I'm worried about. Come on kid time to wake up."

* * *

Nero came back downstairs after his shower dressed in just a pair of pajama bottoms, the girls really had seen him in less, and in more compromising positions that it shouldn't have been a big deal for them to see him without a shirt.

"My arm's really the only problem left." he stated as he sat down on the couch where Lady was ready to deal with wounds ranging from 'stick a Band-Aid on it' to broken bones.

"Yeah, Dante told us the whole deal, you probably tore some muscle in there somewhere, so it's probably a good idea to keep your arm immobile until it heals." the brunette stated, pulling out a roll of bandages as well as several splints. She wrapped the open wound first before applying the splints and putting his left arm in a sling. "May seem a little weird to have your dominate arm in a sling, but you should probably leave it that way for a few days. No taking missions-seriously. Okay?"

Nero only nodded, and smiled lightly. "I'm totally beat. I'm going to head to bed. You guys staying here in Trish's room?"

"Yeah, we'll be hanging around until you two are at least back in fighting condition." Trish grinned lightly.

"Okay, night you two" he stated, before heading up the stairs with a yawn, and into the room he shared with Dante. He walked over to the dresser and reached behind it to grab what he knew was hiding there. Yamato. "I'm never going anywhere without you again." he smirked as the legendary blade was absorbed into his devil bringer.

"Probably not a bad idea."

Nero smiled as he felt Dante's arms wrap around his waist, leaning back into his embrace.

"Well that was fun, we'll have to do another day trip sometime." Nero chuckled sarcastically.

"Yeah, right. Like later this week to close that gate?"

The younger male groaned and rested his head back on Dante's shoulder.

"It'll be fine kid. It's over. Let's get some sleep."

Nero scratched his nose. "Yeah." he agreed.

The two climbed into bed and lost consciousness as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

* * *

(1) Okay, there's a reason I went into so much detail on this part and it's because I'm offering another trade :3 If anyone would like to draw me this picture I will happily write a lemon for you-this is a multiple offer deal so if more than one person does it I'll have to write more than one lemon XD I would just really like to see what you artistic people can do with it! And I'd like to see it too and I have no artistic talent other than writing T_T

Ninjafox-yoko: I was actually planning on throwing Vinkus into level 8 for the last few chapters, but the thought about the flower was golden XD Thanks for the help!

I know, the end seems abrupt. This chapter was coming out a bit differently, I actually have a pre-and post-edit. I might post the pre-edit somewhere. I was hoping to do something where a sequel would be a necessity, but I decided not to because I couldn't make it work out in my head. Hope you all will stay tuned for the epilogue :3 Until next time!

Ja ne!

~Bitbyboth September 27, 2010


	21. Chapter 21 Shining Armor, Red Trench

Devil's Playground CHAPTER 21

Kendecia: Sorry you thought it was short! I didn't mean for it to be! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Pushka: I'm glad the ending wasn't too abrupt and Vinkus did get his in the end :3 I'm also positive that Lady and Trish have walked in on Nero in very compromising positions courtesy of Dante and I'm sure at the time he blushed really red and was like 'oh gawd' *hides* XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

SirenaLoreley: Vinkus really did get SCREWED XD fluffy fluff is fluffy XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

PayingInNaivety: Glad you liked the flower idea, you can thank ninjafox-yoko for that because it was their awesome idea that I borrowed XD I was just going to have them toss him onto level eight and be like 'buh bye!' I don't know Dante likes to play but he always makes sure that his quarry dies in the end, so I think either one of them could be responsible for coming up with the tormenting idea-especially since Nero went though so much because of Vinkus XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Ninjafox-yoko: The flower was genius :3 Vinkus did need a taste of his own medicine! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

CommanderRatchet57: Here's the epilogue! Hope you like it! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

-Kor-chan-: They FINALLY made it out XD I think I might miss Vinkus too, he was a douchebag but his…head was in the right place? XD And about Nero's arm-actually it was his human arm that got snapped on, his devil bringer didn't get hurt at all. I like including Trish and Lady in their supporting roles they're girls and no matter how much they kick ass they have to have a softer side! Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Honeyberries: I thought throwing Vinkus to a tentacle raep demon was the best way to go XD And Dante and Nero covered in blood and injuries is pretty smexy XD Thanks for reviewing! *gives cookies*

Oh Gawd I'm so sorry I took so long! ;_; My muse was put into a coma by the new 'DmC' trailer that isn't DMC and I was so angry and ARG! So I'm really sorry it took so long for just the epilogue! Oh yeah-MATURE WARNING! YAOI! Enjoy!

* * *

Dante came back to, feeling like exhaustion had sunk into his bones, and made him unwilling to move from his current position. He supposed six or so hours of nonstop fighting and sex would do that to a person. He opened his eyes and looked around his brightly lit bedroom, it was probably past noon, but even if it was he didn't give a damn. He glanced down when he felt movement against his chest.

Nero was asleep with his head against the older hunter's shoulder, his devil bringer stretched out across his lover's abdomen. Dante's own arm was wrapped around the kid's shoulders, Nero's injured appendage cradled between their bodies.

Nero started to stir, as if feeling eyes on him. The talons of his bringer tickled the older male's side as he clenched his hand. Dante chuckled softly at the feeling, causing the younger slayer to wake further.

"Mn, Dante," he whispered contentedly, shifting to pull his body flush against his partner before wincing. "Ow."

"Careful kid."

"Forgot about my arm." he admitted, moving until he was comfortable again.

"Look on the bright side, Vinkus has got to be feeling worse than us today."

"If he's still alive." Nero mumbled with a slight smirk rolling over carefully to straddle Dante's hips, holding himself up slightly by placing his right hand by the older male's head.

"One can only hope." Dante commented with a grin, running his fingers up Nero's bare back. The younger man closed his eyes and hummed pleasantly, relaxing to the touch.

"Yeah, I'm not going to dwell on it much." he whispered, leaning over to kiss the older slayer's neck and jaw.

"So I guess we get another day off."

"And it only took half a day in hell to get it," his tongue flicked over Dante's jugular. "I know I'm not allowed to go on missions, not sure about you." he teased.

"Well, someone has to keep you company until you're better." he said slyly.

"Oh really? I don't know about that. I think I'd be fine sitting here in my pajamas all day by myself."

"Seems a little boring. You'd have to entertain yourself."

"Mn, so you're going to _entertain_ me, until I feel better?" he asked, nipping the older man's jaw.

"Sure, I'm a nice guy like that. After you're all healed up though, I do believe you owe me for saving your life."

"Oh yes, I do vaguely remember you keeping me from getting my head blown off." he said with a smirk.

"Yep, I'm sure that you can repay me somehow, but for today I'm suppose to be taking care of you." he stated flipping Nero gently onto his back grinding their hips together. Nero arched and lightly groaned.

"Ohh, Dante," he lightly dug his claws into the older male's shoulder.

"And I plan on taking _very_ good care of you." he growled, before kissing the younger man on his luscious pink lips, Nero's hand coming up to tangle gently in Dante's silver locks. He opened his mouth for the older slayer as his tongue flicked across the crease of his lips. The slick muscles caressed and danced like they hadn't kissed in weeks and when they finally pulled away it was only to gasp for breath, a thin strand of saliva connecting them, until Dante spoke.

"So tell me what you want babe." he whispered, a smirk crossing his features as he palmed the growing bulge in the younger man's pants.

Nero pressed his head into the pillow, his breath hitching slightly. His hand ran down the older man's neck and over his back making Dante shiver. His arm glowed a soft blue.

"Well…kid? You gonna answer me?" he whispered, licking the young male's jaw.

"Yes," he breathed. "Take me Dante…please."

"How can I say no when you've asked so nicely…?"

"Don't get a big head, old man." he growled softly.

He chuckled. "Alright, alright, relax Nero." he whispered pulling the smaller male's pants off with ease, leaving the kid naked below him.

Nero shivered as cool air touched his exposed skin, watching with interest as Dante leaned back, ridding himself of his own garments.

The younger male lightly blushed and shifted, wishing that he had the use of his other arm as Dante reached into the bedside table to produce a tube of lube.

The older man smirked as he popped the top off and smeared some of the slick substance on his fingers. Nero took the bottle when he was done and squeezed what was left onto his partner's member, gently rubbing it around the hardened shaft with his hand. He felt two of Dante's fingers slide into him, and arched slightly trying to help the older male find the bundle of nerves inside him. He moaned softly a moment later when his partner did find it and a spark of pleasure flashed through his frame making his vision cloud.

Dante slipped another finger into him as he nudged the sweet spot once again making his lover growl and squirm, closing his eyes. He slid them in and out a few times, making sure the kid was ready before removing them, causing Nero to open his hazy blue hues.

"You ready babe?" Dante smirked.

"Call me by my name damn it." the younger male hissed.

"You mean kid?"

"You're a jackass."

A chuckle. "You know I love you…Nero." he whispered, guiding himself to the younger male's entrance and pushing inside.

Nero all but purred in approval as Dante started an easy pace, their tired bodies protested slightly but neither let it bother him. The younger slayer wrapped his hand around his neglected length stroking in time as his lover slowly increased the rhythm.

Both started moaning as pleasure overtook their senses. Dante quickly swooped down to capture his mate's lips, muffling the sound, knowing that, should Trish or Lady hear them they'd probably be as good as dead. Nero seemed to understand the urgency trying to keep quiet himself, his hips rolling to meet every one of his partner's powerful thrusts.

"Dan-te, oh-fuck. That-nn…so good." he hissed disjointedly, his mind gone in a haze of pleasure as he felt heat gathering, twisting tighter and tighter in his belly.

"Told you I…was going to take care of…you." Dante breathed cockily, his hand covering Nero's devil bringer speeding up his thrusts as well as the tempo of their hands. The younger man arched his back and started to cry out as he came only to have warm lips crash against his own to dampen the sound. He rode out his orgasm before feeling Dante hit his own, filling him with his hot seed.

The two panted as they collapsed next to each other, once again weary from their activities as well as the previous day.

Nero's mind cleared after a few minutes and he slowly laced the fingers of his free hand with Dante's.

"Thanks for coming after me down there." he mumbled.

"I had to save my little damsel."

Nero huffed with a smirk. "If I'm a damsel, does that make you a knight in shining armor?"

"Nah, that's cheesy, I'm the knight with the kick ass red coat…much cooler." he grinned.

The younger male laughed and moved closer to his 'knight' intent on getting a few more hours of shut-eye while he still had the chance.

* * *

_Two days later…_

Nero smiled, flexing his left arm and stretching it across his body, glad that it was no longer in a sling, though Lady has said it was best if he waited a few more days before trying out Red Queen or Blue Rose as the force of the weapons might be great enough to break the still fragile ligaments. The young slayer walked alongside Dante and Lady as they headed back towards the gate that he'd been dragged down a short three days ago.

"Ready to finally close this hellhole and get back to our lives?" Dante asked with a grin.

"Sure thing." the younger male stated.

"How much do you think has managed to crawl out since we just left it open?" Lady asked, shifting Katalina Ann on her shoulder.

"Hopefully nothing, I cleared out everything in there personally aside from Vinkus and that big shadow monster demon."

"Nothing could get out." Nero assented as they arrived in the clearing where the gate sat the portal rippling silently like a black puddle into infinity. The youngest devil hunter summoned Yamato. "So how does this work?"

"Well, it took Rebellion to open the gate, you should just be able to destroy it with Yamato and it'll seal it up for good." Dante grinned, folding his hands behind his head.

Nero paused for a moment, thinking that it sounded too easy before shrugging and drawing a crisp vertical line through the air with the katana. The slice went forward and cut cleanly through the odd cubical rocks the murky portal and across to the other side, the energy disappearing into the trees. The gate made a gurgling sound before shrinking down to but a speck of light before fizzling out entirely, leaving nothing but a grassless circle etched in the ground.

The young man frowned before performing a few more slashes, just to make sure the hell portal could never be reactivated before nodding.

"Looks good kiddo. Let's head home." Dante said, latching his arm around his mate and nearly pulling him off balance as he started dragging him back to the car.

"Hey!" Nero gasped. "You're gonna make me stab you old man!"

"I thought you knew how to handle a sword kid?" he teased.

"At this rate I'll be doing it on purpose." he growled.

Lady turned to start following them when something caught her eye. Three nights ago the tree behind the gate had contained a message engraved to Dante telling him where Nero was…but now the bark was completely unmarked. She walked closer and cast a look around thinking she might have confused it for the wrong tree but she didn't see the message anywhere…how strange…

"You coming Lady!" Dante called out over his shoulder.

The brunette's breath hitched at the sudden noise but she huffed at herself for being so jumpy.

"What's taking you so long!"

"Nothing!" she shouted back, kicking up her pace as she started after them wanting to get out of the clearing.

* * *

Yep, that's it!…Really! I don't have plans right now for a sequel (because I'm sure you guys will ask for one :3) I'm just not sure what I'd do yet, but I did leave it open for myself to do so. So, was the tree healed because of Vinkus escaping? Or was it due to some other unforeseeable factor? Oh I'm sorry to leave unanswered questions at the end of a story but it was too good to pass up!

I hope you guys liked this story! I'm thinking about attempting a 100 theme challenge in this section and I'm toying with the idea of naming it 'Ebony and Ivory Queens' what do you think? It would be like Rebellion and Blue Rose Productions, only with the themes and the chapters might not connect as nicely. So I'll leave that for you guys to look forward to :3 Until next time!

Sayonara!

~Bitbyboth October 7, 2010


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